You need certain amounts of magnesium, an essential mineral, either derived from your diet or from a supplement. The best dietary sources of magnesium include kelp, wheat germ, brewer's yeast, buckwheat, almonds, cashews and whole grains. Taking magnesium supplements can also provide your required daily intake of the mineral, but they can also cause loose bowels. Before you begin taking a magnesium supplement, consult your doctor about the possible side effects and drug interactions.
Function
Magnesium is responsible for the action of about 300 different enzymes in your body, and it plays an important role in energy, DNA, RNA and bone synthesis, says the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Some people require a magnesium supplement due to a deficiency or a specific health condition. Magnesium also helps to manufacture protein, fatty acids and adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which is the energy your body uses, explains the University of Michigan Health System. Additionally, magnesium regulates insulin secretion, relaxes your muscles, activates B-complex vitamins and supports blood clotting.
Effects
One of the main side effects of taking magnesium supplements is loose bowels or diarrhea, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. People who take normal amounts of magnesium can experience loose stools but few other side effects. Magnesium is often included in laxatives due to its stool-softening effects, notes the University of Michigan Health System. At high doses, magnesium supplements can also cause side effects like nausea and vomiting, stomach cramps and more severe diarrhea, warns the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Uses
You might take magnesium supplements to help treat kidney stones, migraines, diabetes, high blood pressure, hearing loss due to noise, asthma, fibromyalgia and congestive heart failure, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Magnesium supplements are sometimes recommended for treating atherosclerosis, angina, autism, stroke, restless legs syndrome, leg cramps during pregnancy, preeclampsia, mitral valve prolapse, osteoporosis, fatigue, glaucoma and dysmenorrhea. In some cases, magnesium can help treat cardiac arrhythmia, anemia, celiac disease, premenstrual syndrome, anxiety, alcohol withdrawal symptoms, insomnia, multiple sclerosis, intermittent claudication, sickle cell anemia and Raynaud's disease, says the University of Michigan Health System. Talk with your doctor before taking magnesium supplements for any health purpose.
Amounts
The recommended daily intake of magnesium is 310 to 320 mg for women and 400 to 420 mg for men, but therapeutic dosages can range up to 1,000 mg per day, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The federal government has capped the safest recommended dosages of magnesium supplements at 350 mg per day for adults. Higher doses of magnesium can worsen the symptoms of loose bowels and diarrhea, warns the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Ask your doctor about the amount of magnesium supplements that's right for you.
Warning
Aside from loose stools and diarrhea, magnesium supplements can also cause harmful effects in people with kidney disease, cautions the University of Michigan Health System. Magnesium can also interact negatively with certain medications. Magnesium supplements can interfere with amiloride, oral diabetes medications and tetracycline or nitrofurantoin antibiotics, warns the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Magnesium can also interfere with digoxin, neuromuscular blockers, folate and iron, says the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Member Comments