Magnesium is a mineral
needed by every cell of your body. About half of your body's magnesium
stores are found inside cells of body tissues and organs, and half are
combined with calcium and phosphorus in bone. Only 1% of the
magnesium in your body is found in blood. Your body works very hard to
keep blood levels of magnesium constant.
Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the
body. It helps
maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, and
bones strong. It is
also involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis.
When Can
Magnesium Deficiency Occur?
Dietary surveys suggest that
many Americans do not consume magnesium in recommended amounts.
When magnesium
deficiency does occur, it is usually due to excessive loss of
magnesium in urine, gastrointestinal system disorders that cause a loss of
magnesium or limit magnesium absorption, or a chronically low intake of
magnesium.
Treatment with diuretics (water
pills), some antibiotics, and some medicine used to treat cancer, such as
Cisplatin, can increase the loss of magnesium in urine. Poorly controlled
diabetes increases loss of magnesium in urine, causing a depletion of
magnesium stores. Alcohol also increases
excretion of magnesium in urine, and a high alcohol intake has been
associated with magnesium deficiency.
Gastrointestinal problems, such as
malabsorption disorders, can cause magnesium depletion by preventing the
body from using the magnesium in food. Chronic or excessive
vomiting and diarrhea may also result in magnesium depletion.
Signs of magnesium deficiency
include confusion, disorientation, loss of appetite, depression,
muscle contractions and cramps, tingling, numbness, abnormal heart
rhythms, coronary spasm, and seizures.
Magnesium And Blood Pressure
Evidence suggests that magnesium
may play an important role in regulating blood pressure. The DASH study (Dietary
Approaches to Stop Hypertension) suggested that high blood pressure could
be significantly lowered by a diet high in magnesium, potassium, and
calcium, and low in sodium and fat.
In another study, the
effect of various nutritional factors on incidence of high blood pressure
was examined in over 30,000 US male health professionals. After four years of
follow-up, it was found that a greater magnesium intake was significantly
associated with a lower risk of hypertension.
The evidence is strong
enough that the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection,
Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure recommends maintaining an
adequate magnesium intake as a positive lifestyle modification for
preventing and managing high blood pressure.
Magnesium And Heart Disease
Magnesium deficiency can cause metabolic changes that may
contribute to heart attacks and strokes.
There is also evidence
that low body stores of magnesium increase the risk of abnormal heart
rhythms, which may increase the risk of complications associated with a
heart attack.
Population surveys
have associated higher blood levels of magnesium with lower risk of
coronary heart disease. In addition, dietary
surveys have suggested that a higher magnesium intake is associated with a
lower risk of stroke. Further studies are
needed to understand the complex relationships between dietary magnesium
intake, indicators of magnesium status, and heart disease.
Magnesium And Osteoporosis
Magnesium deficiency may be a risk factor for postmenopausal
osteoporosis.
This may be due to the
fact that magnesium deficiency alters calcium metabolism and the hormone
that regulates calcium.
Several studies have
suggested that magnesium supplementation may improve bone mineral density,
but researchers believe that further investigation on the role of
magnesium in bone metabolism and osteoporosis is needed.
Magnesium And Diabetes
Magnesium is important to carbohydrate metabolism.
It may influence the
release and activity of insulin, the hormone that helps control blood
glucose levels. Elevated blood glucose
levels increase the loss of magnesium in the urine, which in turn lowers
blood levels of magnesium. This explains why low
blood levels of magnesium (hypomagnesemia) are seen in poorly controlled
type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Do
not settle for products containing non-bioavailable magnesium.
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