Magnesium is a mineral that's crucial to the body's function. Magnesium helps keep blood pressure normal, bones strong, and the heart rhythm steady.
Experts say that many people in the U.S. aren't eating enough foods with magnesium. Adults who consume less than the recommended amount of magnesium are more likely to have elevated inflammation markers.
Inflammation, in turn, has been associated with major health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Also, low magnesium appears to be a risk factor for osteoporosis.
Calcium, magnesium, K, zinc, boron and other minerals work together to support bone health.
There's some evidence that eating foods high in magnesium and other minerals can help prevent high blood pressure in people with prehypertension.
Intravenous or injected magnesium is used to treat other conditions, such as eclampsia during pregnancy and severe asthma attacks.
Magnesium is also the main ingredient in many antacids and laxatives.
Severe magnesium deficiencies are rare. They're more likely in people who:
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) a common type of medicine used to treat acid reflux, have also been tied to low magnesium levels, like esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegerid), pantoprazole (Protonix), and rabeprazole (Aciphex).
Blood tests are not fully reliable because they do not measure intracellular levels where the magnesium actually functions.
The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) includes the magnesium you get from both the food you eat and any supplements you take. That level is from 100-400mg/day. This level can be too low for many who seem to have poor absorption of Mg. Many people benefit from taking more in the 600-800 mg/day levels.
There are many types available and of course absorption is the key question. Magnesium glycinate is one of the best absorbed types of magnesium. Also magnesium aspartate. Commonly other varieties less well absorbed can cause loose bowel reactions, like mag citrate and mag oxide.
