According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body, and it is needed for hundreds of metabolic processes in your cells. In his book "Staying Healthy with Nutrition," Elson Haas, M.D., states that magnesium deficiency is fairly common due to modern dietary practices, which include boiling of vegetables, consumption of processed foods and soft water, and the use of substances that deplete your body's stores of magnesium, such as caffeine, sugar and alcohol.
Functions
Over 60 percent of your body's magnesium is found in your bones and teeth, where it serves as an important structural component. Many of the enzymes involved in protein, lipid, carbohydrate and DNA and RNA metabolism require magnesium for their activities. Magnesium is essential for mitochondrial energy production and transfer. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University reports that magnesium regulates the flow of ions through your cell membranes, thus ensuring proper heart, nerve and muscle function, and participates in cell signaling, which coordinates the activities of your immune cells.
Depletion
A December 2008 review in "Magnesium Research" cites alcohol's role in depleting magnesium from many of your tissues. Alcohol consumption increases urinary loss of magnesium three times above normal. Haas says that alcohol also interferes with the absorption of magnesium from your intestine. The net result is impairment of your cells' ability to synthesize proteins, produce energy, grow and divide. Nerve and muscle function is adversely affected. Since magnesium supports immune function, chronic alcohol use may lead to increased susceptibility to infections.
Sources
Magnesium is a vital component of chlorophyll, the photosynthetic pigment in plants. Therefore, plant foods are good dietary sources of magnesium. Dark green vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, soy, whole grains and many fruits contain useful amounts of magnesium. Hard water is another good source of this mineral, and magnesium supplements are also available. Alcoholics often omit magnesium-rich items from their diets, thus contributing to magnesium deficiency in these individuals.
Considerations
Regular or intermittent heavy alcohol consumption interferes with intestinal magnesium absorption and increases urinary magnesium losses. Magnesium depletion contributes to many of the physiologic problems seen in alcoholics and may account for the symptoms associated with hangover. Since magnesium deficiency is fairly common, you might benefit from increasing your magnesium intake even if you consume only one to two alcoholic beverages each day.
Recommendations
Recommended dietary allowances for magnesium vary from 30 mg daily for infants to 420 mg daily for adult males. According to Haas, the average American diet only supplies about 250 mg of magnesium daily. Therefore, most people could benefit from additional magnesium intake. Magnesium oxide, a form commonly found in supplements, is poorly absorbed, while magnesium citrate, gluconate, glycinate, aspartate and carbonate afford better absorption. Ask your doctor if supplemental magnesium would be beneficial for you.
References
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Magnesium
- "Staying Healthy with Nutrition: Magnesium"; Elson M. Haas, M.D.; 2006
- Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University: Magnesium
- "Magnesium Research"; Magnesium Homeostasis and Alcohol Consumption; A.M. Romani; December 2008
