Login or Register

Is Magnesium Essential to Hormone Balance?

Sep 2, 2011 | By Joseph Pritchard

Hormones are chemical messengers that your body uses to fulfill a variety of functions such as facilitate growth and development, regulate your mood and metabolism and maintain sexual function. The pituitary, thyroid and adrenal glands are examples of glands that produce hormones, or endocrine glands, MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institute of Health, says. Magnesium is a mineral that helps balance your hormones, according to a literature review in a 2006 issue of the “Peritoneal Dialysis International.”

Magnesium Function, Dose and Deficiency

Your body uses magnesium to maintain normal nerve and muscle function, regulate your heart beat, as well as keep your bones strong. Magnesium also plays a role in preventing disorders such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Your body absorbs magnesium through your small intestines and excretes it through your kidneys. Children ages 1 to 8 need between 80 to 130 mg of magnesium daily, the Office of Dietary Supplements notes. Between the ages of 9 and 13, the recommended daily dose of magnesium is 240 mg. Adult and teenage males ages 14 to 18 need 410 mg/day, while their female counterparts need 360 mg/day. This daily magnesium need drops to 400 mg for males between the ages of 19 and 30. Females in the same age range need only 310 mg/day. Males older than 31 need 420 mg of magnesium daily, while females older than 31 need 320 mg/day. Magnesium deficiency initially causes symptoms such as appetite loss, nausea and fatigue. Deficiency symptoms will deteriorate further into muscle cramps, arrhythmia and even affect personality if left untreated.

Magnesium Levels and the Parathyroid Hormone

A review published in a 2006 issue of “Peritoneal Dialysis International” found that low magnesium levels corresponded with elevated parathyroid hormone levels. The literature review exampled previously published studies on the relationship between blood magnesium levels and the parathyroid hormone. The review focused on studies pertaining to patients undergoing dialysis in order to determine any relationship between the secondary hyperparathyroidism present in people with end-stage renal disease and magnesium levels. The review successfully identified a link between magnesium levels and elevated parathyroid hormone levels, suggesting that magnesium plays a role in regulating parathyroid hormone levels. Further research is necessary to better understand this relationship, however.

Magnesium Deficiency and Hormonal Effects

Being at least 10 percent magnesium deficient was sufficient to induce bone loss and reduce bone cell production in rat test subjects, according to a study published in a 2009 issue of “Journal of the American College of Nutrition.” The study examined magnesium’s role in enzyme function and its relation to osteoporosis. The study highlights the relationship between low magnesium levels and decreased parathyroid hormone levels. The results suggest that insufficient dietary magnesium intake adversely affects bone and mineral metabolism as well as elevates your risk of developing osteoporosis.

Renal Magnesium Regulation and Hormone Control

Your kidneys help excrete and reabsorb magnesium into your body, according to a study published in a 1994 issue of “Physiological Reviews.” The study examined the process of magnesium excretion and how hypermagnesemia and hormones affect this process in rat test subjects. The findings suggest that as your magnesium levels drop or get depleted, due to dietary magnesium deprivation for example, your kidneys attempt to offset this decrease by increasing the amount of magnesium that is reabsorbed. More research, however, is necessary to understand whether or not this also occurs in humans as well as the hormones that regulate this process.

References

Article reviewed by Libby Swope Wiersema Last updated on: Sep 2, 2011

Must see: Photo Galleries