Magnesium deficiency

What Is Magnesium deficiency ?

Magnesium is a very important mineral for several of our body functions. It plays a very important role in the nerve and muscle health, builds the immune system and also keeps the bones and heart strong. Magnesium is required for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body.

When the magnesium levels become deficient in the body, the condition is called hypomagnesemia and it causes many problems such as diabetes, chronic diarrhea, hungry bone syndrome, poor absorption and celiac disease. 

What Are The Symptoms Of Magnesium deficiency ?

Some of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency include:

• Insomnia, anxiety, irritability, fatigue
• Lethargy, anorexia, nausea, and vomiting
• Memory problems, loss of appetite, muscle weakness, and cramps
• Seizures, vertigo, tremors, difficulty in swallowing
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat
• Depression, behavioral problems
• Asthma, hyperglycemia
• Cramping in the stomach, arterial calcification
• Pre-mensural syndrome, high blood pressure
• Hair loss, morning sickness, cold hands, and feet

What Are The Causes Of Magnesium deficiency ?

• If the soil has been stripped of all minerals, so the magnesium present in the food is considerably reduced.
• Eating habits i.e. a diet full of fats, salt, sugar, and phosphates.
• Digestive diseases (such as leaky gut causing malabsorption of minerals like magnesium).
• Medical conditions (diabetes, hormonal imbalance, burns, liver disease, surgery, etc.).
• High use of medicines (for asthma, corticosteroids, anticancer drugs, antifungal medicines, hormone estrogen, etc.).
• Drinking alcohol, soda, and caffeinated beverages regularly.
• Drinking soft water
• Taking calcium supplements.
• Constant and chronic stress.
• Gastrointestinal problems (celiac disease, regional enteritis and Chron’s disease).
• Type-2 diabetes, sweating, age.

What Are The Things One Should Do To Manage Magnesium deficiency ?

• Drink good filtered water and avoid tap water which may contain sodium fluoride that causes magnesium levels to be depleted.
• Replenish your electrolyte levels when sweating excessively while exercising or due to any other reason, as excessive sweating causes depletion of magnesium.
• You can replenish the magnesium levels by having magnesium supplements. However, you must ensure to check with your medical practitioner before taking these supplements as too much can be dangerous.  

What Are The Things One Should Avoid To Manage Magnesium deficiency ?

• Avoid being stressed as this causes depletion of magnesium.
• Avoid drinking soft water, as the process of water softening depletes the magnesium levels from the water.
• Avoid high doses of magnesium supplements as they can cause adverse effects like abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and nausea.
• Avoid magnesium supplements if you’re taking medications for heart problems, diuretics, antibiotics, etc.
• Avoid having too much of magnesium supplements, as an overdose of magnesium can be toxic and even fatal.
• Avoid excess alcohol consumption as this can lead to depletion of magnesium and also causes magnesium to be excreted in the urine.
• Avoid over usage of diuretics, insulin, birth control pills, antibiotics and medicine for hypertension as all they cause the magnesium levels to be depleted. 

What Are The Best Foods For Magnesium deficiency ?

• Leafy green vegetables such as kale, spinach, chard, broccoli, etc. contain plenty of chlorophyll that contains magnesium.
• Consuming fermented foods and drinks such as tofu, tempeh, kimchi, etc. help to propagate the probiotic bacteria in the gut that help to absorb the magnesium from the food.
• Avocado is loaded with magnesium, so it’s a good idea to include it in your diet.
• Cashews are a great source of magnesium, so if you suffer from magnesium deficiency, including some cashews in your diet can help.
• Consuming tuna can help for magnesium deficiency, as the fish is packed with the mineral.
• Flax seeds are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids and magnesium, so you can include them in many ways into your diet if you suffer from magnesium deficiency.
• Consuming pumpkin seeds is a great way to replenish levels of magnesium, as they are very high in magnesium.
• Dark chocolate with more than 60% cocoa is a good source of magnesium.
• Other foods such as black beans, salmon, tofu, halibut, bananas, sunflower seeds, brown rice, and almonds are great sources of magnesium.
• Try and eat raw vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fruits, as cooking strips the minerals such as magnesium from the food. 
• Consume organically farmed foods as the herbicides and pesticides used in non-organically farmed foods strips the magnesium from the soil.

What Are The Worst Foods For Magnesium deficiency ?

• Avoid processed and refined foods such as refined sugar, products made with white flour such as white bread, cakes, cookies, white rice, etc. as they have the magnesium removed during the process of refining.
• Avoid unfermented soy products, as they do not contain any magnesium.
• Avoid caffeine, soda, and salt, as they can reduce the magnesium levels in the body.
• Avoid foods that contain gluten such as wheat, rye, barley, couscous, pasta, noodles, bread, baked products, etc. as these reduce the magnesium levels in the body.
• Avoid refined sugar, artificial sweeteners, and corn syrup, as these case the depletion of magnesium.
• Avoid cheap refined table salt as this is deficient in magnesium and replace it with sea salt or Himalayan crystal salt. 

What Are The Medicines For Magnesium deficiency ?

What Are The Tips To Manage Magnesium deficiency ?

• Avoid stress, as prolonged stress can cause the depletion of magnesium from the body. You can use meditation and breathing techniques, yoga and other calming activities such as reading, photography, etc. to prevent stress and anxiety.
• Magnesium is easily absorbed via the skin or trans-dermally than when taken internally. You can massage magnesium oil into the skin.
• You can use topical magnesium sprays on your body to replenish the magnesium in your body.
• You can take a long, relaxing soak in a bath with Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) which can help to absorb the magnesium via your skin and help to reverse the condition of magnesium deficiency.