Magnesium is an essential mineral. Your body uses it to make protein and convert food to energy, as well as for contracting muscles and using certain enzymes. Magnesium also helps keep your heart rhythm steady, your immune system and your bones strong, and your blood sugar and blood pressure within normal levels. Side effects from excessive magnesium intake through the diet are uncommon because the body removes excess amounts of this mineral.
Recommended Dose
The recommended daily intake for magnesium varies based on your age and sex. Infants up to 6 months old need 30 mg per day and those between 7 and 12 months old need 75 mg per day. Children from 1 to 3 years old need 80 mg per day; between 4 and 8 years old, 130 mg per day and between 9 and 13 years old, 240 mg per day. Males between 14 and 18 years old need 410 mg per day; between 19 and 30 years old, 400 mg per day and 31 and older, 420 mg per day. Females between 14 and 18 years old need 360 mg per day; between 19 and 30 years old, 310 mg per day and females 31 and older, 320 mg per day. If you are pregnant you need an extra 40 mg per day of magnesium.
Signs of Excess Magnesium
You do not need to worry about getting too much magnesium from food. This condition occurs from taking supplements that contain too high an amount of the mineral. Excess magnesium symptoms include loss of appetite, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, very low blood pressure, nausea, weak muscles, lethargy or an irregular heartbeat. If not treated, this condition can lead to heart attack.
Upper Limits
Keep your supplemental magnesium intake below the tolerable upper limit set by the Food and Nutrition Board. Infants under 1 year old should not be given supplemental magnesium at all. Children between 1 and 3 years old should consume less than 65 mg of supplemental magnesium per day, children between 4 and 8 should consume less than 110 mg of supplemental per day and those ages 9 and above should consume less than 350 mg of supplemental magnesium per day.
Considerations
Not getting enough magnesium is more common than getting too much magnesium. Eat a variety of magnesium-rich foods, such as avocados, dried apricots, bananas, nuts and seeds, beans and whole grains to meet your recommended daily intake. Taking a multivitamin containing magnesium can also help you to meet this goal without much risk of getting too much magnesium since these supplements only contain about 100 mg of magnesium.
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