I’m often asked what the most important vitamins and minerals are, and my response is always, “All of them.”
But a certain mineral stands out from the others because it supports great health in a variety of ways—and getting too little of it can have serious consequences.
I’m talking about magnesium!
Here’s the scoop on all that magnesium does for you, why you may not be getting enough (because falling short is more common than you might think!) and what you can do to help maintain a healthy level in your body.
Magnesium—the magnificent mineral!
Here are some of magnesium’s most essential functions:
Healthy bones, teeth and muscles
Magnesium works closely with calcium and helps support the structure and strength of your teeth and bones.
In fact, magnesium deserves a place right alongside calcium when we talk about bone health. Although women often hear “calcium, calcium, calcium,” magnesium is also essential for maintaining strong, healthy bones.
Additionally, magnesium is needed for your body to properly activate and use vitamin D—another nutrient that plays an important role in bone health.
Magnesium and calcium work together for the health of your muscles too. Calcium helps your muscles contract, while magnesium helps them relax.
Epsom salts contain magnesium and have long been used in warm baths to help soothe and relax sore, tired muscles.
And when your body is seriously low in magnesium, normal muscle and nerve function can be affected, contributing to symptoms such as muscle spasms, cramps, tremors and twitching. Severe deficiency can even cause seizures or convulsions.
Cardiovascular health
Magnesium and calcium also work together in one of your body’s most crucial processes—your heartbeat! The lub-dup, lub-dup depends on a carefully coordinated cycle of contraction and relaxation.
When magnesium levels become too low, that normal electrical activity can be disrupted and abnormal heart rhythms can occur.
Magnesium also helps regulate calcium throughout the body and helps keep calcium functioning where it belongs. When magnesium and calcium get out of balance, it can interfere with normal blood vessel function and healthy blood pressure and may contribute over time to unwanted calcium deposits in soft tissues.
This is one more reason why focusing on calcium alone while overlooking magnesium isn’t the best approach to maintaining healthy bones and cardiovascular health.
Strong immune function
Magnesium also plays an important role in normal immune function. Your immune cells rely on magnesium for many of the processes involved in a healthy immune response, so getting enough is another important part of supporting your body’s natural defenses.
Brain and nerve health
Magnesium plays a crucial role in normal brain and nerve function, mood regulation and your body’s response to stress.
Research has found associations between low magnesium status and concerns such as anxiety, depression, poor sleep and cognitive health, and magnesium continues to be studied for its role in supporting mental and neurological well-being.
In addition, magnesium works closely with vitamin D, another brain-supportive nutrient. Magnesium is necessary for vitamin D activation, while adequate vitamin D status may also support healthy magnesium balance.
And there’s even more!
More than 300 enzyme systems in your body depend on magnesium to carry out their jobs.
Magnesium is also involved in digestion and regular BMs, building DNA and RNA, making proteins, regulating blood sugar and supporting normal insulin function—an especially important consideration for people concerned about Type 2 diabetes.
Low magnesium status has also been associated with migraine headaches and menstrual symptoms such as cramping.
We’re running low
Here’s something many people don’t realize: Not getting enough magnesium is extremely common.
Large dietary surveys have consistently shown that a substantial portion of Americans consume less magnesium than recommended. Depending on the population being studied and how magnesium status is measured, estimates can vary considerably.
And there’s an important distinction here: Not meeting your daily magnesium needs does not necessarily mean you have a severe or clinically diagnosed magnesium deficiency. But regularly falling short can still leave your body without the optimal amount it needs to perform all of those magnesium-dependent jobs.
What makes this even trickier is that magnesium deficiency can be difficult to identify. Early signs such as loss of appetite, nausea, weakness and fatigue can also occur with many other health concerns, making magnesium easy to overlook.
Plus, blood tests don't always tell the entire story because less than 1 percent of the body's magnesium is found in the blood. Most is stored in your bones and tissues.
Could You Be Running Low on Magnesium?
Because magnesium is involved in so many different processes, low magnesium status can show itself in a variety of ways.
Recognized signs and symptoms of magnesium deficiency can include:
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Loss of appetite
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Nausea and vomiting
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Fatigue and weakness
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Muscle weakness, spasms or cramps
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Tics, twitches or tremors
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Numbness or tingling
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Changes in mood or behavior
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Abnormal heart rhythms
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Poor muscle coordination
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Seizures in cases of severe deficiency
Low magnesium status has also been associated with or studied in connection with:
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Irritability and anxiety
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Depression
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Poor sleep and insomnia
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Impaired memory and cognitive function
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Migraine
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PMS and menstrual cramps
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Constipation
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Osteoporosis
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Hypertension
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Type 2 diabetes
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Cardiovascular disease
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Asthma
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Fibromyalgia
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ADHD
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Epilepsy
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Parkinson’s disease
Why could you be running low?
There are a number of reasons why someone may not be getting—or keeping—enough magnesium, including:
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Not eating enough magnesium-rich foods
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Regularly relying on highly refined and processed foods, which tend to provide less magnesium than whole foods
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Heavy alcohol consumption
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Certain medications, particularly long-term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and some diuretics
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Poorly controlled blood sugar, which can increase magnesium losses through the urine
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Digestive and intestinal conditions that interfere with normal nutrient absorption
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Chronic stress, which may influence magnesium needs and status
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Reduced levels of magnesium in some of our crops due to changes in modern farming practices, including bioengineering and herbicide and pesticide use
Keep your levels healthy!
The good news is that there are simple things you can do every day to help keep your magnesium levels healthy—and you may notice some welcome changes in how you feel as a result!
Here are four ways to make sure your body is getting and keeping the magnesium it needs:
Eat your magnesium
Food should always be your first source of essential nutrients, and there are plenty of ways to get magnesium into your diet.
Dietary sources of magnesium include:
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Nuts
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Sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds
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Leafy greens
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Spinach
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Broccoli
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Blackstrap molasses
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Seafood
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Meats
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Milk and other dairy products
Cut back on the magnesium sappers
Another smart step is to limit foods and beverages that can crowd nutrient-rich foods out of your diet or work against good nutritional status.
That means cutting back on refined carbohydrates, highly processed foods, fast food, soda and excessive alcohol, and keeping caffeine intake reasonable.
The more your diet is built around nutritious whole foods, the easier it becomes to supply your body with magnesium—and all the other vitamins and minerals it needs.
Take a multi-vitamin with magnesium
Getting your nutrients from food sources should always be one of your priorities, but if you want to make sure all of your nutrient bases are covered (or if you “slip up” with your diet now and then), a complete multi-vitamin and mineral formula like Super Core can help fill in the blanks where your diet may be falling short.
Super Core provides a well-rounded, health-supporting blend of essential vitamins and minerals (including magnesium!), as well as natural sources of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories.
Supplement with a potent full-spectrum probiotic
In order to properly digest your food and absorb the nutrients it contains, it’s vital to have a healthy digestive system and gut microbiome.
In addition to eating a diet of nutritious whole foods, supplementation with a potent, full-spectrum probiotic formula like Super Shield can help support a healthy balance of friendly gut flora and overall digestive health.
Put these healthy habits together and you’ll be helping your body maintain not only a healthy magnesium status, but a healthy supply of other essential nutrients too.
And your body will thank you handsomely.
To your health,
Sherry Brescia
Additional Reading:
How Magnesium and Vitamin D Are Reshaping Mental Health Care
