Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency

Magnesium deficiency is a more widespread problem than we would like to believe. Unfortunately, typical symptoms, such as fatigue, muscle cramps, mood swings and anxiety, are either overlooked as a part of daily grind (we are living in highly stressful times after all) or mistaken for some other health condition.

What makes matter worse is that magnesium deficiency can be difficult to diagnose. Only 1 % of the total magnesium in your body is found in the blood., while 99 % of the mineral is stored in soft tissues and bones. So, your blood test will always come within a normal range, not reflecting your magnesium status accurately. This is partly why your doctor is likely to miss the underlying magnesium deficiency that is actually causing your symptoms.

What’s so special about magnesium?

Magnesium is responsible for hundreds of complex biochemical reactions in the body. Believe it or not, every cell in your body relies on magnesium to function. This is evident from the research that identified 3,751 magnesium-binding sites on human proteins – indicating that the role of magnesium in our health and body functions has been underestimated. [1] The study hinted that magnesium has a more complex and wider role than originally thought.

Magnesium, in conjunction with other nutrients such as B12 and CoQ10, is required for the synthesis of ATP. ATP is the primary source of energy in every cell but in order to be biologically active, it must bind to a magnesium ion. No wonder then that low levels of magnesium can quickly result in fatigue and general weakness.

Magnesium is also needed for efficient transport of calcium and potassium ions across cell membranes. Perhaps one of the most crucial roles magnesium plays involves being a gatekeeper for calcium. It prevents excess calcium from entering the cells, and calcium accumulation within tissues and organs could give rise to all kinds of health conditions. For example, excess calcium can cause uncontrolled, sustained muscle contractions leading to muscle spasms, twitches, abnormal heart rhythm and even migraines.

Not many people know that you also need magnesium to absorb and utilize vitamin D, which in turn facilitates calcium absorption in the body. While you may be taking calcium and vitamin D supplements to support your bone health, it may not work if you are not adding magnesium to the mix.

Another little-known thing about magnesium is that it helps the body to deal with stress in many ways; which mostly stems from regulating stress hormones and balancing neurotransmitters that either excite the nervous system (offset glutamate and calcium) or calm you down (increasing GABA, serotonin and melatonin). In addition, you flush out more magnesium in your urine when you are stressed out, which causes your levels to plummet further.

Magnesium is also required for:

  1. DNA and RNA synthesis
  2. Glutathione synthesis (a powerful anti-oxidant involved in major detoxification processes)
  3. Metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates
  4. Healthy nervous system functions

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that magnesium touches almost every aspect of your health. And precisely for this reason, the ongoing deficiency of this versatile mineral can have devastating consequences for our health – leading to all kinds of symptoms and health problems.

Tell-tale symptoms of magnesium deficiency

  1. Muscle spasms, leg cramps, soreness
  2. Abnormal heart rhythms
  3. Low energy levels and chronic fatigue
  4. Weak bones and achy joints
  5. Inability to deal with stress
  6. Depression, anxiety and hyperactivity
  7. Difficulty sleeping
  8. Increased pre-menstrual related symptoms (muscle cramps, depression, anxiety and migraines)
  9. Constipation
  10. Lack of appetite
  11. Vitamin D deficiency
  12. Mild dizziness that can blow into full-fledged vertigo
  13. Tinnitus (ringing in ears)
  14. High blood pressure
  15. Difficulty swallowing
  16. Intense chocolate cravings
  17. Acid reflux
  18. Back pain, cluster headaches and migraines
  19. Bone loss
  20. Shortness of breath

Severe, unaddressed deficiency can result in even more serious symptoms such as coronary spasms, seizures, and numbness and tingling sensation in face, feet and hands.

Holistic health experts believe that magnesium deficiency could be a missing link between many serious conditions such as atherosclerosis, heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. Better yet, studies show that higher intake of magnesium could actually lower your risk of developing these health problems. [2-6] It can also help relax blood vessels and lower blood pressure in people who are deficient in this essential mineral. [7-8]

It is sad that mainstream doctors don’t acknowledge this association and instead focus on treating the symptoms with heavy-duty and expensive medications, often with no results. The good news is magnesium deficiency is easy to reverse!

What can you do to increase your magnesium levels?

Applying magnesium oil is the best way to quickly raise your magnesium levels without any gastrointestinal side effects, so common with oral magnesium supplements. Spray it on your skin, and your body will absorb what it needs and send the mineral directly to the bloodstream and tissues. You can achieve better absorption rates with transdermal magnesium application (on the skin).

References:

  1. Damiano Piovesan, Giuseppe Profiti, Pier Luigi Martelli, Rita Casadio. 3,751 magnesium binding sites have been detected on human proteins. BMC Bioinformatics.
  2. Stella Lucia Volpe. Magnesium in Disease Prevention and Overall Health. Advances in Nutrition. 2013
  3. Helmut Geiger, Christoph Wanner. Magnesium in disease. Clin Kidney J. 2012
  4. Grober et al. Magnesium in Prevention and Therapy. Nutrients. 2015
  5. Xuexian Fang et al. Dietary magnesium intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and all-cause mortality: a dose–response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. BMC Medicine (2016).
  6. Adela Hruby, James B. Meigs, Christopher J. O’Donnell, Paul F. Jacques, Nicola M. McKeown. Higher magnesium intake reduces risk of impaired glucose and insulin metabolism, and progression from prediabetes to diabetes in middle-aged Americans. Diabetes Care 2013
  7. Xi Zhang, Yufeng Li, Liana C. Del Gobbo, Andrea Rosanoff, Jiawei Wang, Wen Zhang, Yiqing Song. Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Blood Pressure. A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trials. Hypertension.
  8. DT Dibaba et al. The effect of magnesium supplementation on blood pressure in individuals with insulin resistance, prediabetes, or noncommunicable chronic diseases: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017