Muscle aches and cramps can be symptoms of a magnesium deficiency in your body. The National Academy of Sciences recommends women get at least 320 mg of magnesium a day and that men get 400 mg, although doctors at the University of Mary Washington say you could need even more if you are under any stress. A diet low in magnesium can cause a host of problems, including diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure.
Why Magnesium Is Important
Magnesium is employed by the body in more than 350 enzyme processes, and every cell in your body has some magnesium in it. The body uses it more than any other trace mineral. Getting too little magnesium can cause anxiety, bowel disease, depression, insomnia, headaches, tooth decay, fatigue and a number of other maladies. According to Case Western Reserve University Center for Integrative Medicine, magnesium improves the effectiveness of insulin, making it especially useful to people who have problems with obesity, diabetes, polycystic ovaries, hypertension and high cholesterol.
Magnesium and Calcium
Having too much calcium in your body can cause tissue hardening and inhibit the body's ability to absorb magnesium. This can lead to muscle spasms, cramps and high blood pressure. This is often treated with calcium blockers, although Dr. P. Thomas Riley of the University of Mary Washington says magnesium is "cheaper, safer, natural and does the same thing."
Processed Foods Not a Good Source
Although many foods contain magnesium, 80 percent of Americans over the age of 55 don't get enough in their diets. The University of Mary Washington blames diets containing too many processed foods, which lose their magnesium in the canning or production process. As a result, Americans average 143 to 266 mg of magnesium per day, well below the recommended levels.
Foods Rich in Magnesium
Foods that are rich in magnesium include sunflower seeds, spinach, tofu, wheat germ, whole-grain oats, navy beans, kidney beans, green beans, bananas, blackberries, watermelon, shrimp and tuna. Dates and dried figs are also rich in magnesium, as are black-eyed peas, nuts, such as cashews, almonds, Brazil nuts and hazelnuts, and Swiss chard.
Supplementing Your Diet
Because so many people don't eat the right foods to prevent a magnesium deficiency, Dr. Tanya Edwards of Case Western Reserve University recommends you take a daily magnesium supplement. She suggests checking to see if your daily multivitamin contains adequate magnesium. Cooking, particularly boiling, can depleted the amount of magnesium available in food.
Preventing Muscle Aches
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, your body's need for magnesium increases when you are recovering from athletic training. Intestinal viruses can cause temporary magnesium deficiencies, as can too much coffee, soda, salt or alcohol. Supplements with time-release properties can help you absorb the magnesium better. The best forms of magnesium supplements are magnesium citrate, magnesium gluconate and magnesium lactate.
Precautions
There are potential side effects or interactions with some medicines, so check with a health care provider before taking a magnesium supplement for muscle aches. You shouldn't give magnesium supplements to a child without checking with a doctor first. Taking a B vitamin complex may help you absorb magnesium more readily.
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