Magnesium Deficiency

A magnesium deficiency can be a nasty thing. This deficiency has a lot of negative consequences attached to it, including- loss of appetite, attention deficit disorder, migraine headaches, asthma and increased allergies. Often someone who has one of these conditions ends up having a whole host of them. Here’s how you can identify whether you might have a Magnesium Deficiency, and what you can do about it.

Magnesium is a trace mineral that is found to be needed for hundreds of different functions within the human body. The mineral helps to keep your muscles and nerves functioning properly, it keeps your heart beating steadily, it strengthens your immune system, it regulates your insulin levels and metabolism and is crucial for strong bones. Because it’s so important across a wide variety of functions, it’s no wonder that a magnesium deficiency in it can cause so many serious problems. Recent studies suggest that a lot of people in the U.S. likely suffer from a Magnesium deficiency.

There are a wide variety of symptoms that suggest you might be starting to have a magnesium deficiency. Some of these symptoms include vomiting, loss of appetite and nausea, chronic fatigue and a feeling of muscular weakness. As things get worse and your deficiency deepens, you might begin to experience more problems with your muscles (like tingling, random contractions and cramping), random changes in your heartbeat and seizures.

Now, magnesium deficiency can be caused by a number of different sources. Alcoholism can deplete your body’s magnesium stores, as can chronic diseases that affect your digestive track (like Crohns disease and Colitis). Certain medicines can potentially cause a magnesium deficiency, especially antibiotics, cancer medication and diuretics.

Perhaps the biggest culprit leading to magnesium deficiency is simply a dietary deficiency. Magnesium is known to be found in dark green vegetables like spinach. Other sources include certain legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Overly processed vegetables and refined grains have much lower levels of magnesium and are unlikely to help a magnesium deficiency you might have.

There are a couple good ways to increase the magnesium in your diet reverse a potential magnesium deficiency. The first is to shore up the deficiency in your diet by including a lot more dark, leafy greens like kale, and to eat more whole, unrefined grains. If you only have slightly depleted magnesium stores in your body, then increasing the mineral in your diet might be enough to reverse the problem.

However, if you have a severe magnesium deficiency, than it’s probably a good idea to take some magnesium supplements to help rebuild your body’s supply. Magnesium supplements come in a number of different forms, including magnesium sulfate, magnesium oxide and magnesium carbonate. Studies suggest that supplementation can help to reverse a magnesium deficiency, when combined with an improved diet.

If you feel like you might have a magnesium deficiency, than it’s a good idea to start including more dark greens and whole grain into your diet immediately. This will help up the supply of the valuable mineral into your body. It’s probably a good idea to start taking a magnesium supplement, at least for a little while, to help rebuild your body’s supply.

At the very least, there’s likely nothing to lose from including extra magnesium into your diet, even if you don’t have a magnesium deficiency. The trace mineral is thought to reduce your likelihood of suffering from high blood pressure, and to aid in protecting you from diabetes and other chronic diseases.