Magnesium

Other Names: Aspartate de Magnésium, Atomic Number 12, Carbonate de Magnésium, Chelated Magnesium, Chlorure de Magnésium, Citrate de Magnésium, Dimagnesium Malate, Epsom Salts, Gluconate de Magnésium, Glycérophosphate de Magnésium, Glycinate de Magnésium, Hydroxyde de Magnésium, Lactate de Magnésium, Lait de Magnésium, Magnesia, Magnesia Carbonica, Magnesia Muriatica, Magnesia Phosphorica, Magnesia Sulfate, Magnesia Sulfurica, Magnesio, Magnésium, Magnesium Ascorbate, Magnesium Aspartate, Magnesium Carbonate, Magnésium Chelaté, Magnesium Chloride, Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Disuccinate Hydrate, Magnesium Gluconate, Magnesium Glycerophosphate, Magnesium Glycinate, Magnesium Hydroxide, Magnesium Lactate, Magnesium Malate, Magnesium Murakab, Magnesium Orotate, Magnesium Oxide, Magnesium Phosphate, Magnesium Phosphoricum, Magnesium Sulfate, Magnesium Taurate, Magnesium Taurinate, Magnesium Trisilicate, Malate de Magnésium, Milk of Magnesia, Mg, Numéro Atomique 12, Orotate de Magnésium, Oxyde de Magnésium, Phosphate de Magnésium, Sels d’Epsom, Sulfate de Magnésium, Trisilicate de Magnésium.
See also :

• Magnesia Phosphorica (Homeopathy)
• Epsom Salt

Magnesium is one of the macrominerals. It is rich in pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, in spinach, Swiss chard, soybeans, black beans and in salmon and halibut. It is also found in nuts, fish, brown rice, whole grains, and green vegetables, raw almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, figs, alfalfa sprouts, and dark leafy greens. A normal adult sshould take between 250 to 350 milligrams of magnesium per day. An excellent source of magnesium is boiled spinach and Swiss chard; a cup of these vegetables can already provide about 40 percent of the recommended daily dose. Magnesium does not just keep the bone healthy; it can also help in any sugar imbalance. But magnesium is more associated with the prevention of diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes.

Special Precautions of Magnesium

• Magnesium is LIKELY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth or when the prescription-only, injectable product is used correctly. In some people, magnesium might cause stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and other side effects.
• Doses less than 350 mg per day are safe for most adults. When taken in very large amounts, magnesium is POSSIBLY UNSAFE. Large doses might cause too much magnesium to build up in the body, causing serious side effects including an irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, confusion, slowed breathing, coma, and death.
• Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Magnesium is LIKELY SAFE for pregnant or breast-feeding women when taken by mouth in the amounts recommended. These amounts depend on the age of the woman. Check with your healthcare provider to find out what amounts are right for you.
• Heart block: High doses of magnesium (typically delivered by IV) should not be given to people with heart block.
• Kidney problems, such as kidney failure: Kidneys that don’t work well have trouble clearing magnesium from the body. Taking extra magnesium can cause magnesium to build up to dangerous levels. Don’t take magnesium if you have kidney problems.
• Antibiotics (Aminoglycoside antibiotics) interacts with MAGNESIUM
• Bisphosphonates interacts with MAGNESIUM
• Medications for high blood pressure (Calcium channel blockers) interacts with MAGNESIUM
• Muscle relaxants interacts with MAGNESIUM
• Water pills (Potassium-sparing diuretics) interacts with MAGNESIUM

The benefits of Magnesium are

Magnesium is required for the proper growth and maintenance of bones. Magnesium is also required for the proper function of nerves, muscles, and many other parts of the body. In the stomach, magnesium helps neutralize stomach acid and moves stools through the intestine.

• magnesium and calcium are like conjoined twins ! Calcium can’t even be absorbed unless magnesium is present. Without it, calcium is much less effective in maintaining your bones and regulating your nerve and muscle tone.In fact, new research shows that Americans need far more magnesium than the current RDI -- and that you should really be consuming twice as much magnesium as calcium for optimal health. Magnesium is a key player in 300 essential bodily functions, and is used by all of your organs. It activates enzymes ... powers your energy ... and helps your body absorb vitamin D, potassium, and zinc. The majority of Americans are magnesium-deficient due to the low-quality, processed foods in the typical American diet. Produce grown in mineral-depleted soil won’t provide much magnesium, either.
• Hypomagnesemia, low magnesium levels can be caused by alcoholism, severe diarrhea, malnutrition, or high calcium levels (hypercalcemia). Symptoms include fatigue, muscle cramps or spasms, convulsions, and erratic eye movement (nystagmus).
• If you have blood sugar issues, you should know that magnesium helps regulate blood sugar and insulin activity.
• Anxiety and stress : relax muscles and nerves makes magnesium one of your best allies in the battle against anxiety, hypertension, restless leg syndrome, sleep disorders and abnormal heart rhythm.
• Serotonin is known to be the brain’s “happy chemical” which brings about positive mood to a person, and this serotonin needs the mineral magnesium. Low supply of magnesium, as a result, leads to sleeplessness, anxiety and depression. Dietary sources of magnesium include spinach, Swiss chard, peppermint, pumpkin seeds, halibut, broccoli, turnip greens, and mustard greens.
• This mineral protects against cancer in general, maintains the pH balance of the blood, as well as aids the formation of your body’s genetic material–RNA and DNA. While damaged genetic material can put you at risk for cancer, magnesium helps with the repair work.
• Optimum magnesium intake might prevent ADD/ADHD, Alzheimer's and mental decline
• Diabetes : People who have higher levels of magnesium in their body were found to have significantly lower risk for Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, according to -- the results of a Harvard study involving 100,000 people conducted for over a decade. Researchers found that patients who got more magnesium had lower blood sugar levels after meals. Here's why...Your body's capacity to produce insulin is dependent on magnesium, which activates the insulin receptors on your muscles and cells. (Insulin is the hormone that removes glucose from your bloodstream.)The bottom line: Your body will process glucose better and will require less insulin to do so.
• Boost metabolism : Although not directly responsible for the metabolism boost, magnesium binds with hundreds of enzymes in order for the carbohydrates, fats and proteins to be metabolized.
• Cancer : The role of magnesium in cancer is quickly gaining interest among researchers because of recent studies showing protective effects against multiple cancers.

Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency

• Being Irritable or Anxious
• Feeling Lethargic or Run Down
• Having Short Term Memory Gaps
• Less Cognitive Function Than Normal
• Poor Digestion
• Occasional Muscular Weakness
• Annoying Muscle Spasms
• Painful Muscle Cramps
• Periodic Muscle Twitching
• Often Tired After A Meal
• Unable to Get Into A Deep Sleep
• Irregular Heart Beat
• Easily Depressed
• Getting Migraines or Cluster Headaches
• Low Bone Density Issues
• If you are a Woman - Painful Menstrual Cramps
• If you are a Pregnant Woman - Morning Sickness
• Chest Pain Or Signs Of Angina
• High Blood Pressure
• Blood Sugar Imbalances
• Breathing Difficulties or Asthma

Food Sources

Table 1: Selected food sources of magnesium

Food	Milligrams (mg)	%DV*
Wheat Bran, crude, ¼ cup	89	22
Almonds, dry roasted, 1 ounce	80	20
Spinach, frozen, cooked, ½ cup	78	20
Raisin bran cereal, 1 cup	77	19
Cashews, dry roasted, 1 ounce	74	19
Soybeans, mature, cooked, ½ cup	74	19
Wheat germ, crude, ¼ cup	69	17
Nuts, mixed, dry roasted, 1 ounce	64	16
Bran flakes cereal, ¾ cup	64	16
Shredded wheat cereal, 2 rectangular biscuits	61	15
Oatmeal, instant, fortified, prepared w/ water, 1 cup	61	15
Peanuts, dry roasted, 1 ounce	50	13
Peanut butter, smooth, 2 Tablespoons	49	12
Potato, baked with skin, 1 medium	48	12
Blackeye peas, cooked, ½ cup	46	12
Pinto beans, cooked, ½ cup	43	11
Rice, brown, long-grained, cooked, ½ cup	42	11
Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, ½ cup	36	9
Vegetarian baked beans, ½ cup	35	9
Kidney beans, canned, ½ cup	35	9
Chocolate milk, lowfat, 1 cup	33	8
Banana, raw, 1 medium	32	8
Yogurt, fruit, low fat, 8 fluid ounces	32	8
Milk chocolate candy bar, 1.5 ounce bar	28	7
Milk, lowfat or nonfat, 1 cup	27	7
Raisins, seedless, ½ cup packed	26	7
Halibut, cooked, 3 ounces	24	6
Bread, whole-wheat, commercially prepared, 1 slice	23	6
Avocado, cubes, ½ cup	22	6
Chocolate pudding, ready-to-eat, 4 ounces	19	5

*DV = Daily Value. DVs are reference numbers developed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help consumers determine if a food contains a lot or a little of a specific nutrient. The DV for magnesium is 400 milligrams (mg). Most food labels do not list a food's magnesium content. The percent DV (%DV) listed on the table above indicates the percentage of the DV provided in one serving. A food providing 5% of the DV or less per serving is a low source while a food that provides 10–19% of the DV is a good source. A food that provides 20% or more of the DV is high in that nutrient. It is important to remember that foods that provide lower percentages of the DV also contribute to a healthful diet.

Medical Disclaimer

This information is not meant to be substituted for medical advice. Always consult a medical professional regarding any medical problems and before undertaking any treatment or dietary changes.