Magnesium in Diet

Your body needs minerals to maintain health and function properly. Your body cannot make minerals, and so they must come from the foods you eat. Minerals are separated into two categories based on the amounts you require. You only need a small amount of trace minerals, while you need larger amounts of macrominerals. Magnesium is a trace mineral that is important for both the structure and functioning of your body.

Magnesium

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body. Your body has approximately 25 g of magnesium, and about 60 percent of this is in your skeleton, 27 percent in your muscles, 6 to 7 percent in your cells and less than 1 percent is outside your cells. Magnesium plays a role in more than 300 essential metabolic processes, it is absorbed in your small intestines and excreted through your kidneys. Adequate magnesium is essential for your health as it plays many roles, including maintaining your muscle and nerve functioning, helping to produce and store energy, aiding in the synthesis of protein and DNA, and keeping your heart beat steady and your bones strong.

Recommended Dietary Allowances

The recommended dietary allowances, RDA, for men aged 19 to 30 is 400 mg a day and over the age of 31, the RDA is 420 mg a day. For women aged 19 to 30 the RDA is 350 mg a day, age 31 to 50 the RDA is 310 mg a day, and over the age of 51 the RDA is 320 mg a day. Pregnant women age 19 to 30 need 350 mg a day, and from age 31 to 50 the RDA is 360 mg a day. Lactating women from 19 to 30 require 310 mg a day, and age 31 to 50 need 320 mg a day.

Sources of Magnesium

The majority of magnesium in your diet comes from vegetables. Dark green, leafy vegetables, like spinach, are rich sources of magnesium, as magnesium is contained in the center of the chlorophyll molecule, the molecule that gives them their color. Other fruits and vegetables with a good source of magnesium include bananas, dried apricots, avocados, legumes, nuts, seeds, soy products and whole unrefined grains. Depending on your water supply, tap water can be a source of magnesium, with hard water, which is mineral-rich, containing more than soft water.

Excess and Deficiency

Excess magnesium in your diet does not commonly cause any side effects because your body expels what it does not need. Magnesium deficiency is rare, but may occur in alcoholics or people who have problems absorbing magnesium due to malabsorption, burns, lack of calcium or following surgery. Early signs of magnesium deficiency include poor memory, insomnia and fatigue. Moderate deficiency symptoms include rapid heart beat and cardiovascular changes, seizures and personality changes. Severe deficiency can lead to tingling, hallucinations, lack of calcium and continued muscle contraction. Though not deficient, many Americans do not have enough magnesium in their body, and magnesium is thought to protect against immune dysfunction and cardiovascular disease.