The use of chemicals, such as fluoride and chlorine, bind to magnesium, making the water supply low in the mineral, as well. Common substances — such as sugar and caffeine — deplete the body's magnesium levels.
Hypokalemia and Hyperkalemia
Magnesium depletion typically occurs after diuretic use, sustained alcohol consumption, or diabetic ketoacidosis.
One of the biggest factors is the presence of calcium in the diet, as high calcium foods can reduce your magnesium absorption (and vice versa). Foods containing sugar and caffeine may have similar effects.
Drinking Coffee – Drinking coffee lowers your calcium and magnesium levels. Many people can be dependent on drinking coffee, and that is understandable, seeing its wide range of benefits from keeping us awake, and raising our body's levels of antioxidants.
Nutritionist Carolyn Dean points out that hypothermia isn't the only negative side affect of drinking too much water: “Clear urine may mean you're drinking too much water, and therefore, you're losing essential minerals like magnesium — lighter shades of yellow (rather than totally clear) tend to show that you're ...
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.
If we don't get enough magnesium from our food, we are more vulnerable to high levels of stress and anxiety. More stress can lead us to lose even more magnesium through the kidneys in a process of urinary extraction. Caffeine and alcohol can accelerate the rate of magnesium excretion.
Tips for improving magnesium absorption
People wanting to increase their magnesium levels by improving absorption could try: reducing or avoiding calcium-rich foods two hours before or after eating magnesium-rich foods. avoiding high-dose zinc supplements. treating vitamin D deficiency.
Lactose doesn't block magnesium absorption. A study in live healthy human subjects found that the presence of lactose, even in large amounts, had no effect on magnesium absorption. Calcium doesn't block magnesium absorption. The body uses separate pathways to absorb each.
These findings suggest that calcium decreases magnesium absorption by a nonspecific reduction in membrane permeability to solutes that induce net water flow and are consistent with the concept that magnesium is transported by solvent "drag".
Magnesium assists your body in regulating zinc levels, but high intakes of zinc can be detrimental to magnesium absorption – only abnormally high doses (around 142 mg of zinc per day) will reduce magnesium absorption.
Don't use calcium, zinc, or magnesium supplements at the same time. Also, these three minerals are easier on your tummy when you take them with food, so if your doctor recommends them, have them at different meals or snacks.
Can you take vitamin D and magnesium together? Yes. In fact, it's probably best to take both together. Because so many people have low magnesium levels, vitamin D supplements on their own aren't very helpful for a large portion of the population.
Carbonated beverages: Carbonated beverages, including seltzer water and soda, can lead to magnesium deficiency because the carbonic acid in these drinks binds magnesium, making it unavailable for absorption.
Diet soda has also been shown to reduce magnesium, and may be associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke, related to magnesium deficiency. The most commonly used sweetener in diet soda is aspartame, which is a source of aspartic acid.
The group of green teas was the best source of phenolic compounds (110.73 mg/100 mL) and magnesium (1885 µg/100 mL) and was also characterised by the highest antioxidant activity (59.02%). This type of tea is a great contributor to the daily intake of the studied components.
Dark chocolates are confirmed as an excellent source of magnesium (252.2 mg/100 g) and iron (10.9 mg/100 g): in chocolate containing 90% cocoa, their content corresponds to, respectively, 67.0% and 80.3 of Nutrient Reference Values (NRV) in the European Union.
But caffeine causes the kidneys to release extra magnesium regardless of body status. If you drink caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea and soda regularly, your risk for magnesium deficiency is increased.