How to make up for magnesium deficiency in the body
Magnesium is an essential trace element, thanks to which the human heart beats rhythmically, the immune system resists diseases, and the nervous system endures stress. The lack of this substance, or hypomagnesemia, is dangerous for serious disorders.

A person may be disturbed by headaches of varying intensity, migraines are not excluded, problems with concentration are observed, physical and mental activity is reduced.

If magnesium deficiency persists for a long time, heart rhythm failures, arrhythmia, and increased blood pressure are not excluded. That is why you need to know how to make up for magnesium deficiency safely.

Step-by-step instructions for replenishing magnesium deficiency in the body

For the normal functioning of the body, a person should receive 300-400 mg of magnesium daily. This component is not independently produced in the body, therefore it is realistic to make up for its deficiency only through proper nutrition. If hypomagnesemia is severe, proper nutrition may not be enough. In such cases, doctors advise taking special complexes with a high content of magnesium to adjust its balance. The expert provided step-by-step instructions and told how to make up for magnesium deficiency in the body.

Get tested

Magnesium deficiency may not manifest itself for a long time until the situation becomes serious. You can suspect a lack of a mineral by the occurrence of seizures, twitching of the limbs, weakness, excessive anxiety, lethargy, heart rhythm failures or high blood pressure1. Such a clinical picture should be the basis for the examination. For starters, you should contact a therapist and get a referral for tests.

Determine the cause of the deficiency

For effective correction and prompt restoration of the required level of magnesium in the blood, it is necessary to establish the cause of the decrease in its concentration. The list of the most common factors leading to deficiency:

  • increased body need for a microelement (due to stress, strong physical exertion or infections);
  • diseases of the digestive tract that do not allow magnesium to be fully absorbed;
  • taking certain medications (in particular, high doses of calcium);
  • abuse of alcohol, fatty foods, protein foods.

Depending on the causes that provoke a lack of magnesium in the blood, a method is selected to restore the deficiency, but first you need to eliminate or minimize the influence of the factors described.

Magnesium deficiency, or hypomagnesemia, is called a “civilized disease.” In the daily diet of a modern person, part of the magnesium received can barely reach 10%.

Normalize your diet and make your diet complete

Consult a dietitian or nutritionist for advice on the doses required to make up for the deficiency. The daily norm for an adult is 400 mg, but it can be adjusted individually, depending on the indicators.

Initially, the doctor will advise the patient to pay attention to nutrition. Magnesium-rich plant foods: cereals and legumes, spinach, lettuce, nuts. But the concentration of the necessary trace element in these products will depend on the quality of the soil on which they are grown. Magnesium is also found in fish, bananas, tofu and avocados.

Take your medications as directed by your doctor

If magnesium deficiency is acute or it is not possible to correct its level due to proper nutrition due to the characteristics of the patient’s body, drug correction is recommended.

Magnesium preparations are available in the form of tablets, powder for oral solution and injection. The optimal dosage form is selected and adjusted by the attending physician.

Magnesium and vitamin B6 are a good combination. These substances are well absorbed together, so manufacturers often combine them into one product for increased efficiency and ease of use.

Popular questions and answers

Popular questions regarding magnesium deficiency in the body, we discussed with Irina Yuzup, Ph.D. pediatrician, reflexologist, nutritionist, preventive medicine specialist, co-founder of the UniProf Medical Academy.

How is magnesium deficiency manifested in the body?

With a deficiency of magnesium in the body, a person quickly gets tired, he works unproductively, becomes more irritable. If the lack of a microelement is pronounced, dizziness occurs, sleep disturbances are not excluded2. As a result, the patient cannot fully rest and his condition worsens. Further, appetite decreases, constipation is not excluded.

But prolonged magnesium deficiency is especially dangerous. Patients may experience various cardiac diseases. Lack of magnesium leads to arrhythmia, muscle weakness appears. Spasms of smooth muscles are possible, the risk of bronchospasm and laryngospasm increases.

Magnesium affects not only the work of the heart and blood vessels. This substance helps to maintain human immunity. Its deficiency can cause immunodeficiency.

What tests should be done if magnesium deficiency is suspected?

Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to accurately detect magnesium deficiency by laboratory methods. Neither the determination of the serum level of the microelement, nor the detection of the intracellular content of magnesium does not allow obtaining accurate information about its content. An effective method of research is the method of determining free magnesium in the blood using magnetic resonance imaging.

You can also take tests, the results of which allow you to suspect a magnesium deficiency. For example, alkaline phosphatase – its low level allows diagnosing a lack of magnesium in the blood.

Why is an excess of magnesium in the body dangerous?

The main reason for excess magnesium in the body is a violation of its metabolic processes. In some cases, an excessive concentration of a microelement manifests itself in the case of an excessive intake of a substance into the body with drugs or food.3.

An excess of magnesium can provoke the development of arthritis, nephrocalcinosis (deposition of calcium salts in the tissues of the kidney), psoriasis, dyslexia, hyperfunction of the thyroid and parathyroid glands.

Sources of:

  1. Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Blood Pressure: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trials. Xi Zhang 1, Yufeng Li 1, Liana C Del Gobbo 1, Andrea Rosanoff 1, Jiawei Wang 1, Wen Zhang 1, Yiqing Song 2

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27402922/

  2. Magnesium deficiency induces anxiety and HPA axis dysregulation: modulation by therapeutic drug treatment. S B Sartori 1, N Whittle, A Hetzenauer, N Singewald https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21835188/
  3. Hypermagnesemia Marco Cascella; Sarosh Vaqar. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK549811/#article-23189.s2

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