Do you feel tired, weak, have low energy and your heart skips beats? Magnesium deficiency
might be contributing to these symptoms. Let’s dive in
and find out more signs and symptoms you might not have heard about, coming up.
I am Dr.John board certified in Internal Medicine as well as Geriatric medicine.
This channel will give you tips and advice to promote your health and to keep you young.
What is magnesium?
Magnesium is a vital
mineral found in your body. It is found in various foods and is also available as a supplement.
What does magnesium do?
Magnesium plays an essential role in various processes in your body. It is
important for blood pressure regulation, blood glucose control, plays a role as
a co-factor in multiple biochemical reactions in your body. Consequently,
muscle function, nerve function as well as protein synthesis
rely on magnesium in your body. Magnesium also plays a role in DNA and RNA synthesis.
Where is magnesium found in our body?
About 99% is found in your bones, muscles, and non-muscular soft tissue. 50-60% of this
are mineral components of bone. You lose magnesium content in your bone when you
become older. Only 1% of magnesium is found in your blood ( serum and red blood cells).
What is a normal magnesium level?
According to the health professional fact sheet(NIH) a normal serum magnesium
concentrations range between 0.75 and 0.95 millimoles (mmol)/L . Hypomagnesemia
is defined as a serum magnesium level less than 0.75 mmol/L. Although not a routine test,
your doctor can check your level through a simple blood test. The main two organs that play a role
in controlling how much magnesium is absorbed and excreted are your GI tract and your kidneys.
What are risk factors for magnesium deficiency?
These can include:
Age Medications such as certain antibiotics,
diuretics, PPIs DM2
Decreased intake in your diet Being hospitalized (in nearly
12% of hospitalized patients) GI diseases such as Crohn’s
disease or celiac disease Drinking too much alcohol
Hyperparathyroidism After thyroid or parathyroid
surgery causing hungry bone syndrome Rarer familial kidney diseases
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What are the most common signs and symptoms of magnesium deficiency?
Muscle cramps, twitches or tremors are a sign of magnesium deficiency.
When the levels are quite low you are at an increased chance for seizures.
Lack of magnesium affects nerve conduction leading to a degree of nerve dysfunction. This in turns
can affect your brain and your mood. Mental health disorders which can be associated and observed
include depression.
As mentioned before a large amount of magnesium is found in your bones.
When you get older magnesium deficiency is a risk factor for osteoporosis that is loss of bone.
Other risk factors for bone loss include lack of Vitamin D, mobility as well as age.
When we get older, we lose muscle mass. Another symptom of magnesium deficiency is muscle
weakness leading to fatigue. Loss of potassium is also another factor contributing to weakness.
If you are interested in the role of potassium in your body, click right here.
If you are magnesium deficient this can lead to an increase of your blood pressure. If your
blood pressure rises you are at an increased risk for strokes and heart disease. This is because
magnesium deficiency increases the tone of your arteries that is the stiffness of these vessels
making them less likely to relax. If they are less likely to relax, they are narrower thus
increasing the pressure in the vessels contributing to a higher blood pressure.
A worrisome symptom and consequence of magnesium deficiency is an irregular heartbeat or arrythmia.
You might feel a skipped beat or feel dizzy or lightheaded. If these arrythmias persist
you are at an increased risk for heart disease and strokes.
Low magnesium is also linked to headaches and migraines. This is because low magnesium can
cause the vessels in your brain to become narrower or constrict.
GI symptoms of low magnesium include nausea, vomiting and
loss of appetite. Less magnesium is absorbed as seen in GI diseases such as celiac disease.
What are good sources of magnesium?
The recommended dietary allowance of magnesium per
NIH for men is 400-420mg/day and women 310-320mg per day.
½ cup of boiled spinach would be about 78mg of magnesium, ½ cup of cooked black beans would
be 60mg of magnesium, ½ cup of almonds dry roasted would be 80mg of magnesium.
Examples of magnesium rich foods are generally nuts, seeds, whole grains, greens, wheat, and oat
bran. More specific examples would be spinach or kale, bananas, fatty fish such as salmon
or mackerel, whole grains such as oats or wheat, seeds such as pumpkin seeds or flax seeds, legumes
such as beans or peas, nuts such as almonds or cashews, avocados, and even dark chocolate.
You can also after consulting with your health care provider get magnesium from supplements.
There are sustained release preparations such as magnesium chloride or magnesium L-lactate.
The advantage with this kind of release is that they are less likely to be excreted through your
kidneys as they are slowly absorbed in your GI tract. If this is not an option, you can
supplement using magnesium oxide. A side effect from magnesium oxide treatment is diarrhea.
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