Is your Body Secretly Magnesium Deficient?

Magnesium is a key mineral for good health and its deficiency can lead to a series of health problems. Find out the symptoms of low magnesium levels in the body and learn to manage it. Eating a magnesium-rich diet and taking magnesium supplements can help you prevent deficiency.

Our bodies require a number of essential minerals to stay healthy and one of them is magnesium. However, its deficiency is common and can cause complications. The worst part is that symptoms are not prominent. This makes it tricky to diagnose, so the problem often goes undetected.

What is Magnesium Deficiency and What’s The Daily Required Amount?

When magnesium levels in the body are below normal, a person is said to be suffering from magnesium deficiency. To understand this, it’s important to know what the normal magnesium level in the human body is supposed to be. According to USDA’s recommended daily allowance, the required amount of the mineral is 310 to 320 mg for women and 400 to 420 mg for men. However, some experts insist that levels should be twice the amount.

How Does Magnesium Affect The Body?

Magnesium plays a key role in the biochemical and regulatory functions of the body. Most of the organs make use of this vital mineral, the heart, kidneys, bones and muscles being the main ones. It was once thought that magnesium was just important for bones and heart, but research has proven it encompasses a lot more. In fact, it occurs in more than 300 enzymes, which makes it an important part of the detoxification chain. Simply speaking, magnesium protects the body from the damage caused by environmental toxins and heavy metals. Additionally, it’s an energy-giving mineral and activates nerves and muscles. Keeping an eye on symptoms of low magnesium levels in the body can help you prevent complications.

Magnesium also plays an instrumental role in the synthesis of DNA and RNA, helps in digestion of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, and stimulates neurotransmitters. The role of magnesium for good health cannot be ignored, you must look for signs of magnesium deficiency and start consuming your required daily dose as soon as possible. You could see those as yet unexplained discomforts slowly fade away!

What Does Magnesium Deficiency Cause?

A deficiency of any nutrient throws up symptoms in time and can lead to health conditions. There are a number of side effects of low magnesium that can manifest themselves in the form of symptoms including repeated headaches, loss of appetite, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, depression and bowel disease. As the lack of magnesium in the body progresses, the signs can take a more serious turn. Deficiency can lead to conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, hypertension, diabetes, infertility and musculoskeletal conditions.

How to Start a Magnesium Deficiency Treatment?

The best way to counter a deficiency is to modify your diet and include foods rich in magnesium. Leafy green veggies like spinach, beans, nuts and seeds (of sesame, sunflower and pumpkin) as well as dark chocolate, fish, yoghurt and bananas make excellent sources of magnesium. Supplements can also be consumed.

Identifying whether you’re indeed magnesium-deficient is the first step. You have to be watchful about signs and symptoms no matter how slight they may be as they’re often regarded as ‘invisible’.