Magnesium....does your body have enough?

Magnesium....does your body have enough?

Symptoms of Low Magnesium

Yesterday we covered Iodine deficiency and how it effects the metabolism and our overall health. Today is all about Magnesium and how it plays such an important role in our body and it's hormone production. Many of the symptoms of low Iodine are similar to the effects of low magnesium levels and both of these minerals are equally important in our health both physically and mentally. 

Many of the symptoms of low magnesium are not unique to magnesium deficiency, making it difficult to diagnose with 100% accuracy. Thus quite often low magnesium levels go completely unrecognized… and untreated. Many medical doctors never test for magnesium levels yet it can be the leading cause for many of our problems.

Signs of Magnesium Deficiency

Neurological:                                                 

Behavioral disturbances
Irritability and anxiety
Lethargy
Impaired memory and cognitive function
Anorexia or loss of appetite
Nausea and vomiting
Seizures

Muscular:

Weakness
Muscle spasms (tetany)
Tics
Muscle cramps
Hyperactive reflexes
Impaired muscle coordination (ataxia)
Tremors
Involuntary eye movements and vertigo
Difficulty swallowing

Cardiovascular:

Irregular or rapid heartbeat
Coronary spasms

Metabolic:

Increased intracellular calcium
Hyperglycemia
Calcium deficiency
Potassium deficiency

Conditions Related to Magnesium Deficiency

The following conditions represent possible indicators of chronic latent magnesium deficiency:

• Depression
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• ADHD
• Epilepsy
• Parkinson’s disease
• Sleep problems
• Migraine
• Cluster headaches
• Osteoporosis
• Premenstrual syndrome
• Chest pain (angina)
• Cardiac arrhythmia's
• Coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis
• Hypertension
• Type II diabetes
• Asthma

As you can see there are many problems caused by magnesium deficiency and now it's time to look at what causes us to be magnesium deficient.

1.  Poor Eating Habits:
 Eating fast foods too often, these are basically dead calories providing you with little to no nutritional value.

 2. Drinking Carbonated Sodas:
Most dark colored sodas contain phosphates. These substances actually bind with magnesium inside the digestive tract, rendering it unavailable to the body. So even if you are eating a balanced diet, by drinking soda with your meals you are flushing magnesium out of your system.

3. Eating Sweets, Donuts, Cakes, Pastries and other foods heavy in refined sugar. 
Refined sugar is not only a zero magnesium product but it also causes the body to excrete magnesium through the kidneys. The process of producing refined sugar from sugar cane removes molasses, stripping the magnesium content entirely.
And sugar does not simply serve to reduce magnesium levels. Sweet foods are known by nutritionists as “anti-nutrients”. Anti-nutrients like sweets are foods that replace whole nutritious foods in the diet, yet actually consume nutrients when digested, resulting in a net loss. Because all foods require vitamins and minerals to be consumed in order to power the process of digestion, it’s important to choose foods that “put back” vital nutrients, and then some.

4. Stress:
  Stress can be a cause of magnesium deficiency, and a lack of magnesium tends to magnify the stress reaction, worsening the problem. In studies, adrenaline and cortisol, byproducts of the “fight or flight” reaction associated with stress and anxiety, were associated with decreased magnesium. Because stressful conditions require more magnesium use by the body, all such conditions may lead to deficiency, including both psychological and physical forms of stress such as surgery, burns, and chronic disease.

5. Drinking caffeinated beverages daily:

Magnesium levels are controlled in the body in large part by the kidneys, which filter and excrete excess magnesium and other minerals. 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.

6. Pharmaceutical drugs:
Heart medication, asthma medication, birth control pills or estrogen replacement therapy.
The effects of certain drugs have been shown to reduce magnesium levels in the body by increasing magnesium loss through excretion by the kidneys.

7. Alcohol:
 The effect of alcohol on magnesium levels is similar to the effect of diuretics: it lowers magnesium available to the cells by increasing the excretion of magnesium by the kidneys.

8. Calcium Supplements:
Many of us have been told how important calcium is to our bodies, yet no one talks about how important it is to supplement magnesium with your calcium. Taking calcium without magnesium actually reduces your bodies ability to utilize magnesium. Yet when taken together magnesium actually aids in absorption of calcium. So make sure you take both when you are supplementing calcium.

How do you know if you are Magnesium Deficient?

You may go to your health care provider and have them order blood work and they can have results to you within just a day or two. Texas Metabolics can also order lab work for you and actually help you with a balanced nutrition program and finding the right Magnesium supplement for you. Dosage will vary based on age and size of the individual along with several other factors that may deplete you of magnesium.

If you have any question contact us and we will help you with a healthy solution!