Essential Nutrient
Every cell in the body needs the mineral magnesium in order for the body to function the way it should. Magnesium plays a key role in cellular metabolism, helping the body maintain normal muscle and nerve function. Although more than half of the body's supply of magnesium is stored in the bones, some of the mineral accumulates in the body's tissues. Only about one percent of the body's supply of magnesium is found in the blood, so the mineral must be consumed on a daily basis. Deficiency can cause loss of appetite, confusion, muscle cramps, seizures, irregular heartbeat and tremors, along with a host of other symptoms. While the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for magnesium varies according to a person's gender and age, the average is 400 milligrams. Pregnant women need more.
What Studies Show
A person suffering from a chronic disease or stress caused by chronic pain generally needs an increased quantity of magnesium. Everyone needs magnesium, yet government studies show that more than two-thirds of all Americans do not get enough of it. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2000, Americans in general do not consume adequate magnesium in their daily diets. Results of the survey also show that as Americans get older, they consume even less.
Depletion/Malabsorption
Adequate intake and absorption of magnesium by the body is critical to good health. Consuming foods high in magnesium is not always enough, though. A healthy diet includes avoiding alcohol, caffeine and foods high in calcium that can lower magnesium levels. Magnesium can also be depleted through urinary output caused by some medications such as diuretics, certain antibiotics and cancer drugs. Magnesium passes through the kidneys, so diabetes or medications, which produce the need to urinate more frequently, can cause the body to lose magnesium. Chronic diarrhea and/or excessive vomiting can deplete magnesium levels in the body as well. Gastrointestinal disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or Crohn's disease often prevent the mineral from being absorbed as it should be. Other causes of magnesium deficiency include malnutrition, complications after bowel resection surgery, severe dehydration, diabetic acidosis, and the normal aging process. Since calcium and potassium are nutrients that work together with magnesium, deficiencies in either of these minerals usually lead to magnesium deficiency.
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