Magnesium chloride is one of several different types of magnesium that are available in supplement form. Magnesium is not just good for your health, it's necessary for your survival. Your body needs a regular supply of magnesium in order to function properly, but it can't produce it on its own. It's your responsibility to ensure you get enough of this essential nutrient to fill your body's nutritional needs.
What Is Magnesium?
Magnesium is a mineral. It's found in a wide variety of readily available foods such as tofu, oat bran and lima beans. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, magnesium is important in over 300 different biochemical reactions that take place in your body. These reactions are involved in energy production, the synthesis of nucleic acids, proteins and enzymes and the transport of charged molecules across cell membranes, a process vital to nerve transmission and muscle contraction.
Deficiency
Though it is plentiful in many foods, marginal magnesium deficiencies appear to be relatively common in the United States, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Most men obtain only 320 mg of magnesium per day, while the RDA for magnesium in adult males is 400 mg per day in men 19 to 30 years old and 420 mg in men who are older. Adult females consume about 230 mg daily on average, an amount well below the 310 mg RDA for magnesium in women 19 to 30 years old, and the 320 mg RDA for women older than 30. Magnesium chloride is used as a treatment for magnesium deficiency, according to Drugs.com.
Effects of Low Magnesium
Severe magnesium deficiencies are uncommon, but can occur due to gastrointestinal and renal disorders, chronic alcoholism and the reduced ability to absorb nutrients that occurs with age. If you are severely lacking in magnesium your body will also tend to lose calcium, even if you are getting enough of it in your diet. As a result, severe magnesium deficiency may be linked to osteoporosis. Magnesium deficiency can affect your muscle and nerve function, cause you to lose your appetite and cause nausea, vomiting and personality changes.
Considerations
The Linus Pauling Institute recommends that you take a multivitamin with at least 100 mg of magnesium daily. Most of your magnesium should come in the form of food. Eating a well-balanced diet that is rich in green vegetables and whole grains should provide you with your daily supply of this essential nutrient.
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