Magnesium Deficiency by Clinicians Technical Info

What is Magnesium?

In today’s busy world this nutrient is one that we can often be deficient in and it is very much required.  Magnesium is critical to many cellular functions (including energy production, protein formation and cellular replication). Magnesium is used to make things happen in the body in its primary function as an enzyme activator.  This means it is required to activate more than 300 reactions in the body to build or breakdown many things. Approximately 60% of the magnesium in the body is stored in the bones and it is as important for bone health as calcium.  This is because it facilitates calcium absorption into the bones and it is good to keep these nutrients in balance. Magnesium is used in muscles to relax them, whereas calcium contracts them.  This is true of the skeletal muscles as well as those which aid the movement of food through our digestive system.  The tissues with the highest magnesium concentration are those that are the most metabolically active (brain, heart, liver and kidney).  

Magnesium is essential to help prevent the calcification of soft tissues in the body. This often overlooked mineral protects the arterial linings from stress, caused by sudden blood pressure changes, plays a role in the formation of bone, as well as carbohydrate and mineral metabolism.

Magnesium Deficiency

When we look at deficiency this is prevalent in busy working people.  When we are stressed magnesium floods out of the cells and removed from the body.  The elderly and women (especially during the premenstrual phase) can often be low in magnesium due to other factors such as malabsorption, high calcium intake, alcohol, surgery, diuretics, liver disease, kidney disease and oral contraceptive use.

Most commonly when we see people with magnesium deficiency they are suffering from restless leg syndrome, where they get twitchy legs in bed at night.  They may also be having difficulties waking up in the night and may have an irritating tick in their eye.  Also if you stick out your tongue you can see a slight tremor, which indicates deficiency or you may be suffering from muscle cramps.  Expert Naturopath Jane Cronin explains that she has also noticed “a number of people who are being investigated for stomach issues and have a feeling round their oesophagus and throat of tightness and feel like they are being strangled.  This can be to do with lack of magnesium tightening in the digestive system muscles and those round the throat.”  Other signs are fatigue, mental confusion, irritability, weakness, heart disturbances, loss of appetite, and a predisposition to anxiety. Symptoms of low magnesium levels:

• Muscle twitches around the eyes
• Muscular weakness or spasims
• Muscle twitching & cramps
• Insomnia
• PMS
• Problems relating to the heart such as an irregular heart rhythm
• Gastrointestinal disorders
• Bone and teeth problems
• An inability to unwind properly
• Depression
• Dizziness
• Nervousness, apprehensiveness and irritability
• Disorientation and confusion

 

Testing Magnesium Levels

Low magnesium levels may go unnoticed because serum magnesium testing often returns false negative results. Most of the body’s magnesium store lies within cells, not in the serum (the non-cellular portion of the blood). A low magnesium level in the serum reflects end-stage deficiency. A more sensitive test of magnesium status is the level of magnesium within the red blood cell (erythrocyte magnesium level).

Interactions

Magnesium, calcium, potassium and other minerals frequently interact and some minerals may reduce the absorption of magnesium. Vitamin B6 works together with magnesium in many enzyme systems and increases the intracellular accumulation of magnesium. A high calcium intake and a high intake of dairy foods fortified with Vitamin D result in decreased magnesium absorption. There are many drugs that may deplete magnesium levels in the body, particularly many diuretics, insulin and digoxin.

What is the Recommended Dietary Allowance for magnesium?

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97-98 %) individuals in each life-stage and gender group. With the progressing degradation of our food, daily magnesium intakes have progressively declined in many countries, including N.Z.

The 1999 RDAs for magnesium for adults, in milligrams (mg) are:

 

Life-Stage	Men	Women	Pregnancy	Lactation
Ages 14 - 18	410 mg	360 mg	400 mg	360 mg
Ages 19 - 30	400 mg	310 mg	350 mg	310 mg
Ages 31 +	420 mg	320 mg	360 mg	320 mg