Magnesium is possibly the most important mineral in the body. It helps regulate calcium, potassium and sodium. Magnesium is essential for cellular health and is a critical component of over 300 biochemical functions in the body. Some of the major functions that require magnesium are protein synthesis, nerve function, blood sugar control, neurotransmitter release, blood pressure regulation, energy metabolism, and the production of our body and brain’s most powerful antioxidant “glutathione”. Millions of people unknowingly suffer daily from magnesium deficiency called hypomagnesaemia.
Low magnesium intake may be a contributor to many diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Common complications of hypomagnesaemia include cardiac arrhythmias, and hypocalcaemia.
Symptoms Linked to Magnesium Deficiency:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Leg cramps
- Chronic fatigue
- Constipation
- Tension or Migraine Headaches
- Insomnia
- Muscle Pain/Fibromyalgia
- Anxiety
- High Blood Pressure
- Type II Diabetes
- Osteoporosis
Magnesium Deficiency At-Risk Groups Include:
- People with chronic gut problems such as leaky gut or digestive disorders
- People with type II diabetes
- The elderly
- Alcoholics
- Chronic disease and medication use as medications damage the gut which is responsible for absorbing magnesium from food.
Health Problems Associated to Magnesium Deficiency:
- ADHD – Deficiency linked to poor function of the neurotransmitters that control emotion, social reactions, hyperactivity & attention. Synergistic effect with Vitamin B6.
- Anxiety – Regulates the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal) axis which controls physical & psychological reactions to stress. Deficiency can induce anxiety & emotional hyper-reactivity.
- Autism – Cofactor for the neurotransmitters that affect social reactions and emotion. Autistics have low levels. Magnesium improves effectiveness of B6 therapy.
- Asthma – Promotes relaxation of bronchial smooth muscle. Inhibits histamine release. Reduces tendency to develop anaphylaxis. Low intracellular levels linked to asthma severity.
- Depression – Deficiency damages NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors in the brain which regulates mood. Well-documented anti-depressant effects.
- Diabetes – Deficiency reduces insulin sensitivity. Low magnesium exacerbates foot ulcers in diabetics.
- Dyslipidemia – Deficiency causes pro-atherogenic (heart-disease causing) changes in lipoprotein metabolism. Protects LDL (low density lipoprotein) from being oxidized.
- Estrogen – Magnesium is the cofactor for the enzyme that removes toxic forms of estrogen (catechol-O-methyltransferase). Estrogen alters magnesium levels throughout menstrual cycle.
- Fatigue – Required to store energy molecule ATP. Repletion of magnesium in chronic fatigue patients shows clinical improvement in energy levels.
- Female Fertility – Several enzymes needed to protect a woman’s reproductive organs (such as superoxide dismutase) are dependent on the trace elements zinc, copper and magnesium.
- Fibromyalgia – Involved in pain perception pathways and muscle contraction. Treatment with magnesium can improve tenderness and pain.
- Gastrointestinal Health – Deficiency affects the amount of good bacteria found in the gut. May help prevent stomach ulcers. Insufficient levels are very common in people with irritable bowel. Antacids induce magnesium deficiency.
- Headaches – Efficacious for migraine prevention in several trials. Magnesium deficiency can cause arterial spasm and its role in neurotransmission may explain the migraine-magnesium depletion link.
- Hypertension – Promotes dilation of blood vessels. Low intracellular levels are a well-established cause of hypertension.
- Inflammation – Deficiency activates pro-inflammatory chemicals called cytokines. Deficiency will also kick start a damaging immune response by activating cells called leukocytes and macrophages.
- Insomnia – Improving magnesium status is associated with better quality sleep. Mimics the action of melatonin. Also alleviates insomnia due to restless leg syndrome.
- Methylation – Its role in the methylation of genes that affect glucose metabolism may explain the link between magnesium deficiency and diabetes.
- Pain – Lowers pain by blocking NMDA receptors in spinal cord. Effective in reducing post-operative pain.
- Sleep Apnea – The trace minerals Magnesium, Manganese, Selenium, Zinc and Copper are critical cofactors for the major antioxidant enzymes which are important in repairing cellular damage caused by hypoxia (lack of oxygen) in sleep apnea.
- Sports Nutrition – Key to the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which is the body’s main storage form of energy. Supplementation may improve aerobic performance and muscle strength and repair.
- Telomeres – Induced deficiency shortened telomeres in rat livers. Regulates chromosome separation in cell replication.
- Testosterone – Makes testosterone more biologically active in the body. Raises free and total testosterone levels in men.
- Weight Management – Low magnesium in cells impairs a person’s ability to use glucose for fuel, instead storing it as fat. Correcting a magnesium deficiency stimulates metabolism by increasing insulin sensitivity. Magnesium may also inhibit fat absorption.
How to Acquire Magnesium:
- Spinach
- Swiss Chard
- Pumpkin seeds
- Yogurt or Kefir
- Almonds
- Black Beans
- Avocado
- Figs
- Dark Chocolate
- Banana
Did You Know:
- Refining or processing of food may deplete magnesium content by nearly 85%. Furthermore, cooking, especially boiling of magnesium-rich foods, will result in significant loss of magnesium.* The processing and cooking of food may therefore explain the apparently high prevalence of low magnesium intake in many populations.
- Phytates in the diet bind to magnesium and impair its absorption. Other dietary factors that are thought to affect magnesium absorption are oxalate, phosphate, proteins, potassium and zinc.*
- Magnesium is lower during the third trimester of pregnancy and is higher in subjects on a vegetarian diet.* *
- At present, there is no simple, rapid and accurate laboratory test to indicate the total body magnesium status.* The correlation between serum total magnesium and total body magnesium status is poor.* * Normal serum magnesium does not rule out magnesium deficiency, under-diagnosis is common.* Total body magnesium depletion can be present with normal serum magnesium concentrations and there can be significant hypomagnesaemia without total body deficit.*
