Magnesium

=OVERVIEW= Under construction Magnesium is one of the essential minerals a body requires. A daily intake of magnesium is required to maintain healthy levels. In a government report almost half (48%) of the US population consumed less than the required amount of magnesium from food.

REQUIREMENTS

Table 1: Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Magnesium

Male: Age 19-30 400mg, Age 31 plus 420mg.

Female: Age 19-30 310mg, Age 31 plus 320mg

MAGNESIUM EXCESS

Too much magnesium from food does not pose a health risk in healthy individuals because the kidneys eliminate excess amounts in the urine.

However, high doses of magnesium from dietary supplements or medications often result in diarrhea that can be accompanied by nausea and abdominal cramping. Forms of magnesium most commonly reported to cause diarrhea include magnesium carbonate, chloride, gluconate, and oxide. The diarrhea and laxative effects of magnesium salts are due to the osmotic activity of unabsorbed salts in the intestine and colon and the stimulation of gastric motility.

Very large doses of magnesium-containing laxatives and antacids (typically providing more than 5,000 mg/day magnesium) have been associated with magnesium toxicity. Symptoms of magnesium toxicity, which usually develop after serum concentrations exceed 1.74–2.61 mmol/L, can include hypotension, nausea, vomiting, facial flushing, retention of urine, ileus, depression, and lethargy before progressing to muscle weakness, difficulty breathing, extreme hypotension, irregular heartbeat, and cardiac arrest. The risk of magnesium toxicity increases with impaired renal function or kidney failure because the ability to remove excess magnesium is reduced or lost.

NATURAL SOURCES

• Milk
• Oatmeal
• Bran Flakes
• Beets
• Corn
• Peas
• Bananas
• Pineapple
• Nuts and Seeds especially Almonds and sunflower seeds.

SUPPLEMENTS

External links

[[1]] Suboptimal magnesium status report [[2]]Magnesium Rich Foods

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