Magnesium is important for many processes in the body, including regulating muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure and making protein, bone, and DNA.
Function. Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps to maintain normal nerve and muscle function, supports a healthy immune system, keeps the heartbeat steady, and helps bones remain strong. It also helps adjust blood glucose levels.
Mg: magnesium; PTH: parathyroid hormone. Magnesium has important role in adenylate cyclase activity required for cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) which is involved in PTH secretion and end organ effects of PTH.
Magnesium is a cofactor in more than 300 enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body, including protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation [1-3]. Magnesium is required for energy production, oxidative phosphorylation, and glycolysis.
Every organ in the body, especially the heart, muscles, and kidneys, needs magnesium. This mineral also contributes to the makeup of teeth and bones.
Magnesium status is closely linked with liver function. Liver diseases have a significant effect on body magnesium content, and magnesium levels in turn influence these disease processes.
Magnesium supplements can cause excessive accumulation of magnesium in the blood, especially with patients who have chronic kidney disease. Accumulation of magnesium in the blood can cause muscle weakness, but does not damage the kidney directly.
In the nervous system, magnesium is important for optimal nerve transmission and neuromuscular coordination, as well as serving to protect against excitotoxicity (excessive excitation leading to cell death) [1,2].
In the heart, magnesium plays a key role in modulating neuronal excitation, intracardiac conduction, and myocardial contraction by regulating a number of ion transporters, including potassium and calcium channels.
When taken in very large amounts (greater than 350 mg daily), magnesium is POSSIBLY UNSAFE. Large doses might cause too much magnesium to build up in the body, causing serious side effects including an irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, confusion, slowed breathing, coma, and death.
Mg helps in the balanced secretion of thyroid hormones and also plays a key role in the secretion of the active form of thyroid hormone T3.
Mg participates in immune responses in numerous ways: as a cofactor for immunoglobulin synthesis, C'3 convertase, immune cell adherence, antibody-dependent cytolysis, IgM lymphocyte binding, macrophage response to lymphokines, T helper-B cell adherence, binding of substance P to lymphoblasts and antigen binding to ...
The parathyroid glands in the throat make parathyroid hormone, which regulates the amounts of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium in the bones and blood.
Having low levels of magnesium (called hypomagnesemia) can negatively affect how your nervous system, cardiovascular system and digestive systems work, which is why supplementation is now widely recommended — including magnesium sulfate supplements.
Very low magnesium levels may cause:
Headaches. Nighttime leg cramps. Numbness or tingling in the legs or hands. General body weakness.
Medical research has linked magnesium to reduced anxiety. Magnesium helps you to relax by stimulating the production of melatonin and serotonin which boost your mood and help you sleep. Magnesium also reduces the production of cytokines and cortisol, which lead to increased inflammation and stress.
Magnesium plays two important roles in the brain, which may contribute to these symptoms: It blocks the activity of more stimulating neurotransmitters and binds to calming receptors, resulting in a more peaceful, resting state.
Acute or chronic Mg deficiency may affect the nervous system. Acute Mg deficiency leads to metabolic encephalopathy and alteration of neuromuscular excitability, such as deprementia and nervousness. By contrast, chronic Mg deficiency is characterized by spasm.
People with diabetes, intestinal disease, heart disease or kidney disease should not take magnesium before speaking with their health care provider. Overdose. Signs of a magnesium overdose can include nausea, diarrhea, low blood pressure, muscle weakness, and fatigue. At very high doses, magnesium can be fatal.
Mg is essential in the metabolism of vitamin D, and taking large doses of vitamin D can induce severe depletion of Mg. Adequate magnesium supplementation should be considered as an important aspect of vitamin D therapy.
Magnesium is a major player in the body's detoxification process and has been known to prevent damage caused by environmental factors such as toxins, heavy metals, and chemicals.
The calcium antagonistic effect of magnesium is also important for reducing the risk of kidney stones, and silent kidney stones significantly increase the risk of kidney failure. As low magnesium intake will reduce the urinary magnesium concentration, the beneficial effect of magnesium on stone formation is hampered.
Magnesium intake may only be related to reduced odds of fatty liver disease and prediabetes in those whose calcium intake was less than 1200 mg per day. Magnesium intake may also only be associated with reduced odds of fatty liver disease among those alcohol drinkers.