Magnesium deficiency can often be the source of trouble when the mineral is involved in many seemingly unrelated functions in your body. For example, if you haven't gone to the bathroom in three days, you may be snapping at your kids and you keep losing your car keys. All of these could be traced back to the same thing—a lack of magnesium.
We're going to take a close look at what symptoms of magnesium deficiency can be like and what causes them.
MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
Before anything else, it is important to note that many people do not get enough magnesium in their diet and can improve their health by consuming more of it. However, not getting enough magnesium in one's diet is different from having a true magnesium deficiency.
We can be grateful for our kidneys because they help to regulate our magnesium levels. If we don't have enough magnesium in our diets, our kidneys will make sure that we don't lose any of it in our urine, which could lead to deficiency.
In other words, we are discussing the consequences that occur when someone does not have enough magnesium in their system. This is often something that medical professionals fail to recognize because the symptoms are similar to those of other conditions. It is believed that approximately half of all Americans do not consume the recommended amount of magnesium on a daily basis. If an individual does not have enough magnesium in their system, the effects can be minor annoyances or more serious issues.
The most common signs of low magnesium in the body are: -Fatigue -Muscle cramps or weakness -Irritability -Anxiety -Trouble sleeping -Constipation
- Muscle weakness, aches and pains[4]
- Migraines[5]
- PMS[6]
- Irregular sleep patterns and insomnia
- Heart irregularities[7]
- Anxiety and depression[8]
- Digestive trouble and constipation[9]
- Brain fog and memory problems
- Loss of appetite[10]
- ADHD[11]
It is difficult to tell if you have a magnesium deficiency because the symptoms are not always obvious. However, it is not worth taking the chance of ignoring the signs, especially when magnesium is a cheap and abundant supplement.
WHAT CAUSES MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY?
The amount of magnesium your great-great-grandparents got from their diet is not as easy to achieve now. This is because crops are grown from only one type of plant, which depletes the minerals in the soil.
Before public water systems were common, people would often get their water from natural springs. This water was usually high in minerals, but today most people get their water from other sources that are not as high in minerals. Many public water systems add fluoride to the water, which can reduce the amount of magnesium in the body.
Cheap and easily-obtained magnesium supplements can provide quick relief from symptoms.
CAUSES OF LOW MAGNESIUM LEVELS
If you have low magnesium levels, you want to hang onto as much magnesium as you can. These things can work against you, depleting your body of magnesium and causing malabsorption:
- Over-the-counter and prescription medicines: A wide range of medicines, like antacids, antibiotics, birth control pills, blood pressure medications (diuretics), stomach acid blockers (proton pump inhibitors) and more cut into your magnesium stores.[12]
- Chronic diseases: Crohn’s disease, kidney disorders, celiac disease, digestive disorders, type 2 diabetes, low stomach acid and other conditions can affect magnesium absorption and retention.
- Alcohol consumption: Occasional drinks are fine, but regular alcohol consumption destroys your mineral stores, especially magnesium.[13] You can tell drinking throws off your electrolyte balance because you wake up thirsty, puffy and bloated—all at the same time.
- Stress: Stress kicks magnesium from the inside of your cells to the space outside your cells, which makes your kidneys excrete it faster.[14] If you have stress here and there, you have enough magnesium to recover. But chronic stress tanks your magnesium, which is one of the reasons you want to manage your stress levels for everyday wellness. (Good news is, Bulletproof Zen Mode contains magnesium—plus a blend of adaptogenic herbs and nutrients—to support your body’s stress-busting abilities.†)
HOW TO TEST FOR MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY
There are two ways to test your magnesium status: with the help of a health professional or at home.
Start by testing for magnesium deficiency at home using an at-home blood test kit. Keep in mind that true deficiency is different from low magnesium levels, and blood tests for magnesium may not give you accurate results.
A test for intracellular magnesium levels is required to determine how much magnesium is stored in the bones and soft tissues, as these areas contain over half of the body's magnesium. Testing serum magnesium levels (which can be done with a home blood test) would not provide accurate results.
In order to get the most accurate results, you should make an appointment with your healthcare provider and ask for the magnesium RBC test. This test measures the amount of magnesium that is stored in your red blood cells, which will give you an indication of how much magnesium your body has in reserves in your bones and soft tissues.
Why is magnesium so important?
Magnesium is used in every cell of the human body and is involved in over 300 enzymes reactions per day.
Magnesium provides energy for the cells in our body by taking the nutrients we eat and turning them into usable energy. This is why magnesium deficiency can cause fatigue and difficulty losing weight.
Magnesium helps maintain electrolyte balance by regulating mineral levels within cells. This ensures that the balance of sodium and potassium is maintained. If magnesium levels are too low, potassium will be excreted in the urine, leading to potassium deficiency. Magnesium also regulates calcium levels in the body, which is essential for healthy bones and heart.
Magnesium is known as the “guardian of our DNA” as it helps to stabilize and repair any damage done to our DNA by external sources. This can be anything from the quality of the air we breathe and water we drink, to working or living in a building with poor air quality. Magnesium can play a protective role in all of these situations.
Why are So Many Athletes Deficient in Magnesium?
Magnesium is removed from the body through sweat and urine. People who are active and exercise a lot tend to sweat more, which causes them to lose more magnesium. We often don't realize how important magnesium is because potassium and sodium get more attention.
When you engage in intense physical activity, your body moves magnesium from the blood plasma into red blood cells. This is a mechanism your body uses to make up for the loss of energy that occurs when your body has lower levels of oxygen. The more intense the activity, the more magnesium is displaced into red blood cells. The demand for magnesium is highest for people who train for more than two hours a day or who train in humid or sunny environments.
Many athletes are deficient in magnesium because their basic needs are higher. Elite athletes especially have a higher turnover of energy. They are typically running faster and farther, lifting heavier, and the duration of their workouts usually far exceeds that of the average adult. Hence, they have an even greater need for magnesium supplementation.
There are several lifestyle habits which are common among athletes and which tend to lead to magnesium depletion. These include drinking alcohol, carbonated beverages and caffeine, and eating processed food with a lot of sugar. These habits can interfere with the body's ability to absorb magnesium, and are often chosen instead of foods which are rich in magnesium.
So Many Different Types of Magnesium. Which is Best for Me?
Magnesium Glycinate or Magnesium Bisglycinate
I recommend magnesium glycinate or magnesium bisglycinate for my athletes. This form of magnesium can be taken orally and is known as a chelated amino acid supplement. This form of magnesium binds to an amino acid and therefore relies on a protein pathway for availability and absorption.
Magnesium glycinate is a type of magnesium supplement that is readily available and typically very well tolerated. It is a little more expensive, but it is more available in the body than other types of magnesium supplementation. Magnesium bisglycinate is the only form of magnesium that is able to cross the blood-brain barrier, making it especially useful for athletes who deal with anxiety, headaches, and mood-related disorders on a routine basis. Magnesium chloride is the only magnesium supplement that rivals magnesium bisglycinate. Magnesium chloride is found naturally in seawater and is very easy for our bodies to absorb.
Magnesium Citrate
Dietitians often recommend magnesium citrate to athletes and clients who have trouble moving their bowels. This form of magnesium is an osmotic laxative. An osmotic laxative pulls water into your intestines while relaxing your bowels. This flood of water helps to simultaneously soften and bulk up your stool, thus making it easier to pass.
Magnesium Oxide
It is best to avoid magnesium oxide as it is not easily absorbed by the body. Most over the counter supplements contain some form of magnesium oxide.
Transdermal Magnesium
Applying magnesium to the skin can be a useful option for those individuals who cannot tolerate taking it orally because of severe gastrointestinal distress.
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But, I hate swallowing pills!
I understand what you're saying. I even get bored of taking my vitamins every day. Don't worry, I have a solution! Many of the athletes I work with don't like taking capsules, so I found an alternative that's easy to take: magnesium chewables! They taste great and can last in the fridge for up to four days.
KY’S MAGNESIUM CHEWABLES
Step 1:
(You can add a teaspoon of distilled water to further help the process.) Saucepan In a small saucepan, mix together 3/4 cup of your favorite cold-pressed juice and 5 scoops of Thorne Magnesium Bisglycinate Powder. Gently stir until the clumps are almost entirely broken apart and dissolved. (You can add a teaspoon of distilled water to further help the process.)
Step 2:
After adding the gelatin, do not stir the mixture right away. You will notice that the juice mixture begins to ripple.
After letting it sit for a few minutes, put the pan on your stove over medium heat and begin to stir the mixture with a spatula until the liquid becomes thin and mixed well together. The mixture shouldn't look very lumpy and gelatinous, but more like a thick juice.
Step 3:
Place the silicone mold with the mixture on top of a cookie sheet in the fridge for one hour.
Step 4:
Push the gummies out of the silicone mold, and divide them into 200mg servings. It's important to make sure you read the label on your magnesium container correctly to figure out the correct dose. For example, if 5 scoops of the Thorne powder offer 1000mg of magnesium bisglycinate, then 3 gummies would equal 200mg.
You should take the chewables either before bed or 30-60 minutes before a pre-game nap, since magnesium can have a relaxation effect. A tip is to try the supplementation in advance to make sure you can tolerate it before trying it for the first time on the day of competition.
If you are not a collegiate or professional athlete and NSF certification does not pertain to you, you can use your favorite magnesium powder. Also, if you are more prone to constipation, you may want to consider magnesium citrate in powdered form.
To recap, the signs of magnesium deficiency that were mentioned are: Regular headaches Anxiety Muscle cramps Lack of sleep Irritability Extreme fatigue If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to contact your healthcare provider to discuss magnesium supplementation or other treatments.
