Follow on Twitter
Join us on Facebook
Magnesium
I get alot of muscle aches, does this mean that I am deficient in Magnesium?
A deficiency of Magnesium may result in muscle aches, pains, twitches, spasms or headaches for many people. This is because Magnesium is needed to help the muscles to relax and let go, without it the muscles will bunch up and tighten causing nerve strain and muscle pain.
Functions of Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential mineral, which is involved in the formation of bones and teeth, and is essential for the proper functioning of muscles and nervous system. Magnesium is also needed to convert blood sugar to energy. Magnesium helps promote absorption and metabolism of other minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, sodium and potassium. It also helps utilize vitamin B complex and vitamins C and E in the body. Magnesium is required for energy production as it plays a role in our major energy producing mechanism called the Krebs Cycle. It is essential for many enzyme reactions in the body. For this reason it is often recommended to improve general health and energy levels., especially for the nervous system as it promotes relaxation.
Magnesium deficiency
- The risk of magnesium deficiency is increased with age, alcohol abuse, diabetes, long-term diuretic use and gastrointestinal disorders causing poor absorption
- Caffeine decreases the absorption of Magnesium
- Dietary zinc and fibre decrease magnesium absorption
- Magnesium is necessary for the production of energy from carbohydrates and fats. ATP, the molecule that provides energy for almost all metabolic processes, exists primarily as a complex with magnesium
- Factors that increase the demand of Magnesium are athletes, alcoholism, constipation, excess coffee intake, stress, diabetetes, diarrhea, high fat and sugar intake, muscular dysfunction, anxiety, pregnancy and hypertension
Magnesium supplementation
Magnesium, like all minerals when taken in supplement form will slowly overtime increase your nutritional levels and reduce symptoms of deficiency. This means that the longer you take Magnesium the better the results will be. The recommended daily intake of Magnesium is 350mg/ day while a therapeutic dosage is 650-1000mg/ day. Higher doses are only recommended for short term supplementation to address symptoms such as pain, cramps, muscle spasms and for better functioning of the nervous system. It is always recommended to take a break from supplements and generally most Naturopaths will recommend to take a supplement for 3 months and then take a break of around 2 weeks. This gives you the opportunity to reassess whether you still require the effects of the supplement, if you feel you still require it you can continue taking the lower dosage for another couple of months and so on.
Magnesium rich foods
- Nuts and seeds
- Green leafy vegetables
- Soy beans
- Almonds
- Brewers yeast
- Cashews
- Cocoa
- Molasses
- Parsnips
- Wholegrain cereals