Hashtag Magnesium: The Latest Buzzy Supplement?

Are you wondering why your doctor prescribed Magnesium for muscle cramps and sleeplessness?

Of course, Magnesium is a miracle mineral and a dietary must, but often overlooked. Did you know that Magnesium facilitates 350+ vital enzymatic processes in our body? Yes again, it does. Magnesium is one of the most used minerals in the body.

Let’s review why we end up being Magnesium deficient and different ways to refresh the levels.

Why is magnesium always being missed?

To start, 99% of the total body magnesium is located in the bones, muscles, and soft tissues whereas less than 1% is in our blood. Having said that, a routine serum magnesium test tends to be a poor indicator of the total magnesium content at the tissues or organ level. The serum magnesium concentration is closely regulated and maintained by our tissues which in turn does not correlate with overall magnesium stores in the body. With that being said, your general health checkup may not report a magnesium deficiency which thereby potentially goes unnoticed.

How does our body get low on magnesium?

Well, let’s start with our daily coffee mornings. Our coffee does not deplete magnesium directly; however, caffeine retards the rate at which magnesium is absorbed by the intestines. Similarly, carbonic acid in carbonated beverages and sodas binds with magnesium thereby hindering its absorption. Furthermore, the phosphoric acid in soft drinks leads to excess excretion of magnesium from the body. Moving on to refining enriched flour, we lose 87% of magnesium in the process. One cup portion of brown rice provides 78mg of magnesium compared to 19mg in white rice or its paler counterpart. We lose about 60% of magnesium per 150 calories in the processing of a whole baked potato to our favorite potato chips snack. Apart from these, factors affecting magnesium intake include foods being grown in mineral-depleted soils, rigorous cooking of magnesium-rich foods, excessive sweating, smoking, long-term alcohol intake, poor digestion, bowel diseases, high sugar & salt diet, high stress levels, long term use of medications like PPIs (like Pantoprazole), diuretics, excessive interference of aluminum from cooking pots, pans, deodorants which reduce the magnesium absorption.

What are the symptoms of magnesium deficiency?

Let’s befriend magnesium if you seem to get the hint of a few of the below common symptoms,

• Loss of appetite and fatigue
• General weakness and increased stress
• Numbness and muscle cramps especially nighttime leg cramps
• Constipation
• Premenstrual Syndrome / PMS
• Sleeplessness
• Headaches and migraine
• Signs of irritability, anxiety, depression
• Irregular heart rhythms
• Low calcium and potassium levels
• Nerve and bone-related pain

Perfect-5 Magnesium rich foods:

• Avocados – Provides 58mg of magnesium
• Seeds & Nuts – Pumpkin seeds, Chia seeds, Almonds, Cashews
• Leafy Greens – One cup of boiled spinach contains 157mg
• Bananas – Provides 32mg of magnesium
• Dark Chocolate – Provides 64.6mg from one sweet square

Apart from these, fruits like papayas, blackberries and legumes, whole grains, black beans, soy products, fatty fish like salmon & tuna, milk, Greek yogurt etc would also help boost your magnesium levels naturally in the body. However, those following an active and busy lifestyle may incorporate a magnesium supplement to achieve the daily magnesium goal.

Which is the best form of magnesium supplement?

Make sure to scour around and check the amount of elemental Magnesium with each serving size. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of magnesium for men is 400-420mg and 310-320mg for women depending on age. Caution is also advised in kidney diseases and frequent diarrhea is often a hint that you are taking a lot of the mineral.

Disclaimer: The content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for advice from a Healthcare Professional.