Our advice for filling up with magnesium

Magnesium is one of the minerals most present in the body. It participates in all the major metabolisms, that of carbohydrates, lipids and protein, which it transforms into energy, and contributes to the proper functioning of different tissues and organs, because it is involved in many enzymatic reactions, with a particular affinity for muscles, including the heart, as well as for the brain and its synapses, through which nerve impulses are transmitted. 

 

Are we lacking in magnesium?

According to the SUVIMAX study, around 20% even have magnesium intake less than two-thirds of the ANC, i.e. less than 4 mg / kg / day. However, that does not mean that these people are deficient in magnesium. Simply that their daily intake are insufficient. ANCs are indeed a kind of benchmark, but these values ​​are not set in stone. Absorbing less magnesium (than ANCs) may work well for some, not others, with each body “consuming” magnesium in its own way, in varying amounts or in greater amounts. In fact, in France, its deficiency remains exceptional.

 

How do you dose it?

Magnesium can be measured by a blood test. But this does not give an exact reflection of its status in the body, because it is 99% inside cells, and only 1% is left in the blood! Therefore, a normal dosage is not informative since an in situ deficit, where magnesium is required, cannot be formally ruled out. Conversely, low magnesium probably betrays a deficit.

 

Close
© Istock

How does a magnesium deficiency manifest itself?

By one fatigue, the nervousness, the anxiety, etc., not very specific signs, since the deficit affects the body in general. The other reasons for these symptoms must therefore be identified, if necessary by a physician, before deciding that their cause is a deficiency in magnesium. More evocative, the tingling extremities, spontaneous tremors lips, cheek or eyelids, just like the night cramps calves, or a global hyperexcitability, psychic and cardiac (a heart that beats too fast), which is not limited to muscles, headaches and jaw pain …

Where to find it naturally?

Magnesium is present in cocoa (chocolate), and in the beaufort, the oil seeds (cashew, almond, hazelnut …), the wheat (whole and sprouts), oatmeal, Whole grains. It is also found in Dried fruit (dates, prunes …), some vegetables (sorrel, spinach, chickpeas, beans …) and sea ​​food (mussels, shrimps, sardines…). Certain waters of drinks are rich in magnesium (Hepar, 119 mg / l or Badoit, 85 mg / l). One liter of Hepar makes it possible to reach one third of the ANC for a day.

 

When should we “supplement” with magnesium?

A complementary source of magnesium can be useful in case of stress, because it accelerates the loss of the mineral through urine, especially sincea strong magnesium deficiency amplifies the reaction to stress. A vicious circle that can be broken by “complementing” during 5 or 6 weeks, in the spring, during examination or at the end of pregnancy (MagneVieB6 from Sanofi, 3 or 4 tablets per day, approximately € 7 for 60 tablets, or Thalamag from Iprad, 2 capsules per day, € 6 approximately the box of 30 capsules, in pharmacies). The fatigue is another indication of the lack of magnesium, as well as the constipation.

 

Are the different forms of magnesium the same?

Some references from food supplements claim their naturalness, in particular those based on marine magnesium. But for lack of studies that compare them all, the forms of magnesium are the same a priori. The magnesium salts the most soluble (chloride, citrate, lactate, sulphate, etc.) are certainly the best absorbed, and this in an equivalent manner, except for the poorly absorbable hydroxides. Magnesium is in any case easily eliminated by the kidneys and the risk of a low overdose, if these are working properly.

Waters rich in Hepar magnesium in particular *, characterized by a high content of sulphates and magnesium, have thus demonstrated their effectiveness in the treatment of functional constipation (without an organic cause).

* Dupont et al. Efficacy and safety of a magnesium sulfate-rich natural mineral water for patients with functional constipation. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, In Press. (2013).

To read : “Treat yourself naturally all year round”, Dr J.-C. Charrié with Marie-Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, ed. Prat, € 19.

Leave a Reply