Magnesium deficiency is frequently observed in conditions causing steatorrhoea or severe chronic diarrhoea such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, coeliac disease, Whipple's disease and short bowel syndrome.
Every organ in the body, especially the heart, muscles, and kidneys, needs the mineral magnesium. It also contributes to the makeup of teeth and bones.
It takes time to restore your magnesium levels fully. High-strength magnesium supplements can help to alleviate symptoms such as night-time leg cramps* and supply the body directly with enough magnesium.
Fruit juices such as orange juice, cherry juice, and watermelon juice are all good sources of magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. According to the FNDDS, the average school container (124 grams) of 100% orange juice provides : 13.6 mg of magnesium.
Your body needs sufficient magnesium for it to function properly. If you're magnesium deficient it could be contributing to your weight gain or preventing you from losing weight.
Magnesium deficiency can have a spiraling effect.
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.
Dietary deficiencies of magnesium, coupled with excess calcium and stress may cause many cases of other related symptoms including agitation, anxiety, irritability, confusion, asthenia, sleeplessness, headache, delirium, hallucinations and hyperexcitability, with each of these having been previously documented.
Magnesium is involved in 80% of the body's metabolic reactions. One of its most important roles is in energy production in the body, so it's not surprising that low magnesium levels can result in fatigue or feeling tired.
You can test your magnesium levels by purchasing a simple at-home finger prick test kit which is then analysed at an accredited lab. Forth offers a number of blood tests which include magnesium such as our Nutri-check test and Menopause Health blood test.
Vitamins and minerals
Let's start with magnesium. A cup of coffee contains about 7 mg, which is a drop in the daily-requirement bucket (420 mg for men, 320 mg for women).
Chronic magnesium deficiency is often associated with normal serum magnesium despite deficiency in cells and in bone; the response to oral supplementation is slow and may take up to 40 weeks to reach a steady state.
Bananas may be best known for being rich in heart-healthy and bone-strengthening potassium, but a medium-size banana also provides 32 mg of magnesium, in addition to 10.3 mg of vitamin C (a good source) and 3 g (a good source) of fiber, according to the USDA.
In addition to anxiety, low magnesium levels have been linked with: Higher levels of stress. Depression. Insomnia or sleep disturbances.
Mg deficiency leads to neurological disorders ranging from apathy to psychosis. Moreover, Mg has an effect on the regulation of synaptic plasticity (4). Several studies have suggested a neuroprotective action of Mg in the synaptic function (5).
One study of older adults with insomnia found that magnesium supplementation at a dose of 500 milligrams daily for eight weeks helped them fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, reduced nighttime awakenings, and increased their levels of naturally circulating melatonin.
Thus, the elderly population is especially at risk of magnesium deficiency due to low intake but also increased risk for chronic diseases that predispose to magnesium deficiency (ageing also reduces magnesium absorption from the diet, ie, achlorhydria).
Magnesium will not help you lose belly fat. You can't spot reduce fat. However, magnesium has a positive correlation with weight loss.
One study found that very high doses of zinc from supplements (142 mg/day) can interfere with magnesium absorption and disrupt the magnesium balance in the body [17].