Ensuring you have a healthy amount of vitamins and minerals is essential to optimal health and well-being. Unfortunately, many nutrient deficiencies are on the rise due to an increase in processed food consumption, increase in stress and a decrease in soil quality. Let's explore the symptoms of magnesium deficiency and how you can make sure you’re getting adequate amounts of magnesium.

Why is Magnesium Important

Not only is it a top mineral in your body, magnesium is also:

  • Most of your body's magnesium stores are found in your bones, and a minimal amount (1%) can be found in your blood.
  • Magnesium assists in more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body.
  • Magnesium helps maintain blood sugar levels.
  • Top reasons people take magnesium are to soothe muscle pain and promote sleep. 

Do I Have a Magnesium Deficiency?

While a blood test may not be that indicative of a magnesium deficiency, there are many symptoms of magnesium deficiency your health care practitioner can detect this. Instead, your natural health practitioner may ask you some questions, such as:

  • Are you eating a diet high in processed foods? It’s obvious that processed and highly refined foods don’t contain the same nutritional value as their whole food counterparts. If you’d like to increase your health profile and magnesium levels through diet, consider consuming more whole foods such as leafy greens and legumes. 
  • Are you stressed? Stress increases the excretion of magnesium through your urine. When you are stressed, you should supplement with magnesium!
  • Do you have a digestive disorder? Certain digestive issues like Crohn’s and celiac can hinder your body’s ability to properly absorb magnesium. 
  • Are you breastfeeding, and do you have high lactation? If so, you will want to supplement with magnesium as you lose this vital mineral with lactation.
  • Do you have a condition affecting your parathyroid gland?
  • Have you been taking diuretic drugs long-term? This can increase your body's excretion of magnesium.
  • Have you recently experienced digestive distress? Or do you drink alcohol regularly? Both deplete your body's magnesium stores.
  • Are you older than 50? As you age, your body absorbs less magnesium from food, and you likely excrete more magnesium. Furthermore, older adults are less likely to get adequate magnesium from food.
  • Do you have diabetes or a kidney disorder? Diabetes and kidney disorders can deplete your body's magnesium.

Plus, due to depleted soil, many of the foods that contain magnesium do not contain adequate amounts. Now let's take a look at the symptoms of magnesium deficiency.

5 Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency

The symptoms of magnesium deficiency are wide-ranging. Here are the top five:

  1. Anxiety and stress - this is a double-edged sword because you may start to feel this way because of a magnesium deficiency; however being anxious or stress can also deplete your body of magnesium. 
  2. Constipation is your body's way of asking for magnesium! Luckily, there are 2 forms of magnesium that can help, citrate and oxide. These forms can help keep things moving and is much safer alternative to natural herbal laxatives for long-term use.
  3. Difficulty sleeping - insomnia can be a sign of low levels of magnesium. This mineral is known to help people sleep better and fall asleep faster.
  4. Heart issues are linked to low levels of magnesium, this can also include high blood pressure. Research shows that magnesium is highly linked to the heart and they have concluded that a magnesium deficiency can have a role in cardiovascular disease. 
  5. Muscle cramps: since muscle contractions are a function of magnesium, muscle cramping is an indictor that you could be deficient. Research has shown that taking this supplement can reduce the cramping and soothe muscles. 

Other symptoms of magnesium deficiency can include confusion, insomnia, poor digestion, constipation, a rapid heart rate, and seizures.

Furthermore, the Linus Pauling Institute also states that while mild magnesium deficiency may not produce clinical symptoms, it may be associated with an increased risk of developing chronic diseases later on.

Dosing: ODA vs RDA 

RDA refers to the Recommended Daily Allowance and typically represents the amount of a nutrient that is needed to prevent deficiency. Interestingly, in 1997, the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine increased the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for magnesium based on more accurate methods of measuring magnesium based on balance studies.

On the other hand, ODA is the Optimum Daily Allowance, representing the amount of magnesium you would need to thrive and combat symptoms of a magnesium deficiency.

  • Currently, the RDA for magnesium is 320–420 milligrams per day.
  • The current ODA for magnesium is 500 milligrams per day.

As you can see, there is a difference of 80–180 milligrams per day. This is sometimes called a "shortfall" because it is the difference between preventing deficiency and thriving.

Therapeutic Dosing

While the average suggested dose of magnesium is 200-1000mg per day, your practitioner may recommend a higher, more therapeutic dose in certain circumstances.

Magnesium-Rich Foods

Foods rich in magnesium include:

  • dark leafy greens
  • nuts and legumes
  • whole grains 
  • seeds

But getting the magnesium your body needs from food alone is hard. Current farming practices depend on soil that is depleted of its minerals, and with food processing, many nutrients are stripped from food. Although obtaining adequate amounts of magnesium from food alone is difficult, the following foods have high magnesium content:

  • 1/2 cup Avocado: 22 mg of magnesium
  • 1/2 cup Broccoli cooked: 12 mg of magnesium
  • 1/2 cup Spinach, boiled: 78 mg of magnesium
  • 1 oz Pumpkin seeds, roasted: 156 mg of magnesium

As you can see, getting adequate amounts of magnesium from food is hard. To complicate matters further, the National Institutes of Health estimates we only absorb 30 to 40 percent of our magnesium from food.

Unfortunately, if you're looking to reverse symptoms of magnesium deficiency and get therapeutic benefits, getting enough through diet alone will be virtually impossible. That’s why it’s essential to supplement with a quality magnesium supplement.

Magnesium Deficiency FAQ

Can't I get magnesium from food? 

To an extent. While you can eat foods rich in magnesium, your body can only absorb 40% of it. For a therapeutic dose, or to help a magnesium deficiency, supplements are recommended.

What is the most absorbable form of magnesium?

Most practitioners agree that magnesium bisglycinate is the most absorbable form of magnesium.

Why is my magnesium so low?

Diet, stress levels, digestion, medications, and age can all be factors for magnesium deficiency. 

Are magnesium supplements safe?

Magnesium is a safe supplement that has been shown to help reduce your risk of dying from any cause. One study found that people who consumed at least 400 mg of magnesium a day had a 38 percent lower risk of dying from any cause over 7 years when compared with those consuming less than 250 mg a day.

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21865568/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27869762/