Magnesium is an essential nutrient required by your body to stay healthy. Magnesium is important as it helps in many processes your body undertakes, like regulating blood sugar levels, blood pressure, nerve, and muscle function. It even supports bone and muscle health.
Table of Content
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Benefits of Magnesium
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Magnesium Deficiency
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Ideal requirement
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Sources of Magnesium
Benefits of Magnesium
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Supports our bones: While calcium is associated with healthy bones, Magnesium is also an essential mineral for healthy bones. According to a study, sufficient magnesium intake with higher bone density improves the crystal formation in bones and lowers the risk of osteoporosis, especially in females*. Magnesium improves bone health as it helps in the circulation of calcium and vitamin D, which are important for your bones.
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Combats Diabetes: Diets that are rich in Magnesium are linked with a reduced risk of diabetes. Magnesium helps in glucose control and insulin production. A magnesium deficiency may worsen insulin resistance, often developing before type 2 diabetes.
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Reduces risk of cardiovascular disease: Sufficient magnesium intake helps maintain muscle health. It helps in minimizing the risk of any heart-related complications.
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Premenstrual syndrome: Magnesium helps relieve premenstrual syndrome like bloating and mood swings. Taking magnesium supplements with vitamin B6 can improve these symptoms and provide relaxation.
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Anxiety Control: Magnesium is vital in regulating mental health and preventing mental disorders like depression and anxiety. A person with a good amount of Magnesium is least likely to experience mood swings.
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Reduces Fatigue: Magnesium helps reduce exhaustion as it regulates the normal functioning of the nervous system. People with good levels of Magnesium are least likely to experience migraines, sleep disorders, and nervousness.
Magnesium Deficiency
Magnesium deficiency is not a common phenomenon, as people get their magnesium requirement from consuming a variety of foods. Magnesium deficiency mainly happens when specific conditions, such as kidney or gastrointestinal diseases, lower the levels of this mineral in our bodies.
This can impair any of the functions involving Magnesium, but a severe consequence includes lowering our potassium levels, which can lead to neurological and heart problems.
Poor levels of Magnesium have also been linked with muscle pain, tremors, cramps, and weakness. However, it is often uncertain if those directly result from magnesium deficiency or the lack of other nutrients involved in those processes.
Ideal requirement of Magnesium
The requirement of Magnesium that you need daily depends on certain factors like your age, gender, and life stage. The dietary reference value (DRV)* for healthy adults (over 18 years), including during pregnancy and lactation, is 200-250 mg of Magnesium daily. You can get sufficient Magnesium from a balanced diet that may include a variety of foods.
Sources of Magnesium
This mineral is found in many foods, as well as in drinking water. However, the amount of Magnesium in water is usually higher in regions where water has a high mineral content, also called hard water.
Foods rich in Magnesium include:
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Green Leafy Vegetables like Spinach
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Bananas, Berries, Legumes
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Whole Grains and Grain Products
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Fish and Seafood
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Nuts Like dry roasted almonds, dry roasted cashews, and raisins
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Pumpkin seeds, kidney beans, black beans
In a nutshell, Magnesium is an important mineral required for staying healthy. But having it in the appropriate quantity is important. Magnesium from foods is not considered harmful. However, consuming it as a supplement in large amounts may be unhealthy and unsafe.
Therefore, consult a nutritionist or dietitian before taking any magnesium supplements, as the dosage is crucial.
Data Source: Magnesium and Osteoporosis: Current State of Knowledge and Future Research Directions – PMC (nih.gov)
