Magnesium deficiency has been shown in studies to cause a wide range of health conditions, from heart arrhythmias, like atrial fibrillation (AFib) to increased blood sugar levels, putting people at risk for Type 2 diabetes. Chronic deficiencies can affect all aspects of your health, from your teeth and bones to personality, memory function, and muscle function.
Despite this, more than half of Americans (56 percent) are magnesium deficient. Why is that? This widespread deficiency may be the result of an increase in the consumption of processed foods, meats and dairy products and decreased consumption of green vegetables, which are rich in magnesium.
What Does Magnesium Do for Me?
As previously mentioned, magnesium helps regulate various biochemical reactions. It aids in muscle and nerve function, helps control blood glucose and helps regulate blood pressure. It is used in energy production, helps bone health, and plays a role in DNA and RNA synthesis. It also aids transport of calcium and potassium ions across cell membranes, which helps the muscles contract and promotes a normal heart rhythm.
Magnesium also supports a healthy immune system and plays a role in keeping bones strong. Studies show that magnesium has a positive effect on the treatment of disorders like cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes.
Patients who suffer from chronic asthma may be able to normalize breathing with the help of magnesium supplements that aid in relaxing the bronchial muscles and regulating breathing. Even patients who experience breathlessness may have their symptoms relieved through the administration of intravenous magnesium.
Magnesium is also important to collagen production because it helps the body produce proteins that are turned into collagens, which strengthen the tendons, ligaments and skin.
Signs of Magnesium Deficiency
The body carefully regulates magnesium. During times of limited dietary intake, the body’s GI tract will attempt to absorb more of the mineral as food is being digested, and kidneys limit the urinary excretion of the mineral. Magnesium deficiency, however, may result from low dietary intake of magnesium or loss of magnesium due to alcoholism, health problems and taking certain drugs.
The effects of your magnesium deficiency will manifest in a number of signs that vary depending on the length and severity of the deficiency. While many signs can be reversed by increasing your magnesium intake, others, such as tooth decay and bone density loss, are permanent.
Below are some possible early signs of magnesium deficiency.
● Loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting: These early warning signs should tell you that there is something off about your diet, especially if you haven’t been eating well.
● Fatigue and weakness: Patients who suffer from chronic magnesium deficiency may feel tired all the time, lack energy to perform daily tasks and feel weak.
● Insomnia: Conversely, patients with chronic magnesium deficiency may develop insomnia.
As the condition becomes worse, the following signs and symptoms occur:
● Numbness or tingling: Vitamin or mineral deficiencies can affect the body in a number of ways, including nerve damage. This may manifest itself with sensations of numbness or tingling, especially in the hands and feet -- a condition called peripheral neuropathy
● Muscle contractions or cramps: People who have chronic magnesium deficiency may develop persistent or severe muscle pain or cramping.
● Seizures: Magnesium is a potential modulator of seizure activity because of its ability to moderate brain function. Likewise, people with chronic magnesium deficiency may develop seizures.
● Personality changes: Personality changes, including chronic anxiety, apathy, nervousness and irritability, hyperexcitability and belligerent behavior can develop in patients who have chronic magnesium deficiency.
● Abnormal heart rhythms or coronary spasms: In studies, magnesium deprivation has been shown to trigger episodes of atrial fibrillation (AFib) and other heart rhythm changes, and patients quickly responded to magnesium supplementation.
● Confusion and memory problems: Clouded thinking, confusion, disorientation and marked depression -- even terrifying hallucinations or delirium can be brought on by serious, chronic lack of magnesium.
In rare cases where there is severe magnesium deficiency, there can be hypocalcemia or hypokalemia (low serum calcium or potassium levels) because mineral homeostasis is disrupted.
If magnesium deficiency is long term, the body can lose large amounts of calcium in urine because of the deficiency, making this mineral responsible for tooth decay, poor bone development, osteoporosis, and slow healing times for broken bones and fractures. Because these conditions are serious and irreversible, improving your diet and magnesium intake is essential at the onset of early magnesium deficiency signs, which are reversible.
How Can I Get the Magnesium I Need?
Eating a healthy diet -- especially one rich in dark, leafy greens, beans and lentils, and a wide variety of other fresh fruits and vegetables -- is the best way to make sure you have healthy levels of magnesium in the body. Avoid lifestyle choices that will counteract your intake (such as regular or heavy alcohol consumption) and manage health conditions that prevent your body from properly absorbing the magnesium that you consume.
If you aren’t able to meet your daily magnesium needs through diet alone, this mineral is found in adult multivitamins or can be found as a supplement in most health food stores.
It should be noted that cooking -- especially boiling -- green vegetables results in a significant loss of magnesium ions from the vegetables into the water. It is for that reason that raw spinach salads are recommended as excellent sources of magnesium.