Magnesium
Requirements:
- RDA:
350 mg. for males
300 mg. for females
250 mg. for children
- Daily Optimal Intake:
500 - 750 mg. for both males and females
Supplement Forms:
- Chelated magnesium: magnesium bound to an amino acid
- Magnesium acetate
- Magnesium carbonate: 40% magnesium
- Magnesium gluconate
- Magnesium oxide: 60% magnesium, purest form
- Magnesium sulfate
Labs:
- Hair magnesium - too variable
- Magnesium challenge - intravenous magnesium (.2 mEq./kg. over
4 hours)
- Serum and RBC levels inaccurate unless severe depletion and
can alter depending on age of RBCs
- WBC magnesium - better indicator of tissue magnesium
Food Sources:
- 200 - 400 mg./100 gm.:
Buckwheat
Nuts - almonds, cashews, brazil
Seeds - sunflower, sesame, pumpkin
Wheat bran
Wheat germ
- 100 - 200 mg./100 gm.:
Barley
Brown rice
Carrots
Corn
Nuts - walnuts, pecans, filberts
Oats
Peas
Rye
Wheat
Signs and Symptoms of Deficiency:
- Apathy, fatigue
- Arrhythmias
- Cerebrovascular attack
- Hypertension
- Hypocalcemia - soft tissue calcification
- Hypokalemia
- Infants - convulsions
- Ischemic heart disease
- Muscle cramping
- Muscle weakness
- Nausea
- Tetany and heart failure
- Tremor
Causes of Deficiency:
- Chronic laxative abuse
- Decreased intake
- Diabetes
- Diuretics, thiazide (including digitalis toxicity)
- Excess purified fiber intake
- High calcium may increase the requirement for magnesium
- High fat
- High phosphate
- High salt
- Poor absorption
- Severe respiratory problems
Adverse Effects and Toxicity:
- Contraindicated in kidney problems
- Generally large doses of one mineral may cause deficiencies in
other minerals. A single mineral supplement should be backed up by
a multiple mineral supplement.
- Large doses may cause diarrhea
- May cause a persistent lump at the injection site when given
IM
- May cause hypotension when used IV
Drug/Nutrient Interactions:
- Caffeine, phosphorous, sugar, high sodium increase urinary
excretion of magnesium
- Drugs which may cause magnesium deficiency:
Alcohol
Amphotericin B
Bleomycin
Bumetanide
Cargenicillin
Chlorthalidone
Chronic laxative abuse
Cis-platimun
Cortisone and related drugs
Cyclosporine
Digoxin
Furosemide
Gentamicin
Hydrochlorothiazide
Some antiasthmatic drugs
Thiazide diuretics
Vinblastine
Increases of calcium or vitamin
B6 may increase requirement of magnesium
Supplementation of magnesium may reduce the effectiveness of
lithium in treating patients with bipolar
disorder
Biochemical Functions:
- 55 % in bone. 27% in muscle - mainly an intracellular ion
- Antispasmodic effects on smooth muscle
- ATPase - for normal excitability and muscle contraction
- ATP - phosphokinases, cAMP formation, phosphatase
- Can act as a calcium channel blocker
- Decreases death rate following myocardial infarction
- Decreases risk of arrhythmia, angina in cardiac patients
- Dilates blood vessels
- Enhances immune function
- Increases HDL cholesterol levels
- Inhibits platelet aggregation
- Magnesium helps balance sodium, potassium, and calcium
levels
- Needed for calcium mobilization from bone
- Protein synthesis
- Required to activate B vitamins
Clinical Indications:
Copyright 1998 - 2008 by L. Vicky Crouse, ND and James S. Reiley, ND. All rights reserved (ISSN 1527-0661).