Why Do I Need Magnesium?

Did you know out of all the minerals that make up your body Magnesium is the fourth most abundant?

Well, now you do, and given that it’s the fourth most abundant mineral in your body it follows pretty logically that it’s likely somewhat worth knowing a thing or two about.

Which is exactly what is going to happen by the end of today’s super quick and simple introduction to Magnesium you’ll have a good grasp of why you need it, signs and symptoms you may not be getting enough, good food sources and answering the question that always pops up “should I just take a supplement?”

Magnesium: Why Do You Need It?

Magnesium carries out quite an impressive array of functions in your body.

These include it being a component of over 300 enzymes¹ allowing for vast and varied fundamental processes from the contraction of your muscles including your heartbeat, blood pressure, blood sugar control^2-4 energy production, bone development⁵ (50-60% of the Magnesium in your body is found in your bones) and your eyesight⁶ to name a few.

Signs and Symptoms That You May Not Be Getting Enough

The clinical manifestations of low magnesium (or hypomagnesemia) may affect every system of your body including your neuromuscular (your muscles and the nerves innervating them), cardiovascular (heart), renal (kidneys), and gastrointestinal (digestive) systems.

When these body systems are affected by low magnesium you may experience painful muscle spasms, fibromyalgia (generalised muscle pain and stiffness), arrhythmia (irregular heart beat), low blood pressure, osteoporosis (brittle bones), headaches and migraines, depression⁷, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and electrolyte disturbances (in particular with the electrolytes calcium and potassium) encephalopathy (brain disease or brain malfunction which can manifest in a range of ways including memory loss, changes in personality, sudden change in behaviour, seizures, and in extreme situations coma).

A little “food for thought” I thought I’d throw in here is that interestingly the authors of one meta-analysis recommended increasing magnesium-rich foods as a means of potentially reducing your risk of developing type II diabetes after an inverse association was found between magnesium intake and the incidence of type II diabetes⁸.

Good Food Sources of Magnesium

1. Dark chocolate

2. Nuts (the highest in Magnesium are almonds, cashews and brazil nuts)

3. Avocado

4. Legumes and tofu

5. Wholegrains

6. Green leafy vegetables

Should I Just Take A Supplement?

Clinical diagnosis of magnesium deficiency is not straightforward or simple because as you read above the range of symptoms associated with magnesium deficiency are unspecific and furthermore as with deficiency in any of the micronutrients are generally confounded by low consumption of other nutrients.

Which means to take a magnesium supplement even if you have some of the above symptoms is very unlikely to be the best place you could start because what is most important to remember is that nutrients act in a coordinated manner to maintain the function of your cells and tissues and any dysregulation has the potential to adversely affect the function of your organs^9-17 and certainly overall health outcomes.

Take Home Points

Magnesium has many vital functions in your body.

Including acting as a cofactor for more than 300 enzymes which are involved in regulating a number of fundamental functions including muscle contraction, neuromuscular conduction, blood sugar control, your heartbeat and controlling your blood pressure energy production and bone development and mineralisation.

Furthermore, magnesium deficiency has been associated with a wide range of diseases. Therefore, if you suspect you may be low in magnesium (or any other micronutrient) please seek advice from a food and nutrition expert (aka a dietitian) before jumping in and purchasing any supplements or going DIY because your health is important and making health changes based on faulty information (no matter how well meaning) is one of the most damaging things I see people do in practice.

With All My Heart I Hope You Find This Information Useful & Inspiring.

Become Great. Live Great.

Bonnie

Reference

1. Kanbay M, Yilmaz MI, Apetrii M, Saglam M, Yaman H, Unal HU, et al. Relationship between Serum Magnesium Levels and Cardiovascular Events in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients. Am J Nephrol 2012 09;36(3):228-37.

2. Seo J.W., Park T.J. Magnesium metabolism. Electrolyte Blood Press. 2008;6:86–95.

3. Kass L., Weekes J., Carpenter L. Effect of magnesium supplementation on blood pressure: A meta-analysis.  J. Clin. Nutr. 2012;66:411–418.

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5. Kim M, Yeon J, Choi M, Bae YJ. Evaluation of Magnesium Intake and Its Relation with Bone Quality in Healthy Young Korean Women. Biol Trace Elem Res 2011 12;144(1-3):109-17.

6. Agarwal R, Iezhitsa L, Agarwal P. Pathogenetic role of magnesium deficiency in ophthalmic diseases. Biometals 2014 02;27(1):5-18.

7. Tarleton EK, Littenberg B, MacLean CD, Kennedy AG, Daley C. Role of magnesium supplementation in the treatment of depression: A randomized clinical trial. PLoS One 2017 06;12(6).

8. Larsson S.C., Wolk A. Magnesium intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis.  Intern. Med. 2007;262:208–214.

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12. Erem S., Razzaque M.S. Dietary phosphate toxicity: An emerging global health concern.  Cell Biol. 2018.

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14. Razzaque M.S. The dualistic role of vitamin D in vascular calcifications. Kidney Int. 2011;79:708–714.

15. Ohnishi M., Razzaque M.S. Dietary and genetic evidence for phosphate toxicity accelerating mammalian aging. FASEB J. 2010;24:3562–3571.

16. Razzaque M.S. Fgf23-mediated regulation of systemic phosphate homeostasis: Is klotho an essential player?  J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 2009;296:F470–F476.

17. Razzaque M.S. The fgf23-klotho axis: Endocrine regulation of phosphate homeostasis.  Rev. Endocrinol. 2009;5:611–619.