Magnesium Deficiency

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

02 Jul 2008 02:48 PM

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, many adults in the United States are not getting enough magnesium in their diets!

Early symptoms of magnesium deficiency can include:

• Loss of appetite, nausea, and/or vomiting
• Fatigue and weakness

Advanced symptoms of magnesium deficiency can include:

• Numbness and/or tingling
• Muscle contractions and cramps
• Seizures
• Personality changes
• Abnormal heart rhythms

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency can look like other diseases and vice versa. Talk to your doctor for an official diagnosis.

For many people, magnesium intake isn't low enough to result in deficiency but isn't high enough to promote optimal magnesium status. Optimal levels of magnesium can help protect against heart disease, immune system dysfunction, and migraine.

Who may be at risk for magnesium deficiency?

• People with gastrointestinal disorders that impair absorption -- magnesium is absorbed in the intestines. If you have a gastrointestinal disorder that interferes with magnesium absorption, your body may be forced to deplete stored magnesium instead.
• People with poorly-controlled diabetes -- magnesium is lost in greater amounts through the urine of people with hyperglycemia.
• Alcoholics -- between thirty and sixty percent of alcoholics have low levels of magnesium in the blood. Ninety percent of patients going through alcohol withdrawal also have low levels of magnesium.
• People taking certain diuretics, antibiotics, and anti-neoplastic medication used to treat cancer. These can affect magnesium absorption and excretion.
• Older adults may have lower dietary intakes of magnesium. Senior citizens are also more likely to be taking drugs that can interact with magnesium.

The best way to get extra magnesium is through a healthy, varied diet.

In people with extremely low levels of magnesium, a doctor may suggest intravenous magnesium replacement or an oral magnesium supplement. Magnesium oxide has the highest percentage of magnesium; magnesium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide are your second best choices.

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger