Magnesium ...1......2... ...3...
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What is the Recommended Dietary Allowance for magnesium for adults?
When can magnesium deficiency occur?
What are some current issues and controversies about magnesium?
Magnesium and blood pressure
Magnesium and heart disease
Magnesium and osteoporosis
Magnesium and diabetesWhat is the health risk of too much magnesium?
Table of Food Sources of Magnesium
Source of Purchase of Magnesium -- Unrelated to Vibrant Life
Magnesium is a
mineral needed by every cell of your body. About half of
your body's magnesium stores are found inside cells of
body tissues and organs, and half are combined with
calcium and phosphorus in bone. Only 1 percent of the
magnesium in your body is found in blood. Your body works
very hard to keep blood levels of magnesium constant (1).
Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical
reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle
and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, and bones
strong. It is also involved in energy metabolism and
protein synthesis (2).
Green vegetables such as spinach provide magnesium
because the center of the chlorophyll molecule contains
magnesium. Nuts, seeds, and some whole grains are also
good sources of magnesium (3).
Although magnesium is present in many foods, it usually
occurs in small amounts. As with most nutrients, daily
needs for magnesium cannot be met from a single food.
Eating a wide variety of foods, including five servings
of fruits and vegetables daily and plenty of whole
grains, helps to ensure an adequate intake of magnesium.
The magnesium content of refined foods is usually low (4). Whole-wheat bread, for example, has twice as much magnesium as white bread because the magnesium-rich germ and bran are removed when white flour is processed. The table of food sources of magnesium suggests many dietary sources of magnesium.
Water can provide magnesium, but the amount varies according to the water supply. "Hard" water contains more magnesium than "soft" water. Dietary surveys do not estimate magnesium intake from water, which may lead to underestimating total magnesium intake and its variability (4).
What is the Recommended Dietary Allowance for magnesium?
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the average
daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the
nutrient requirements of nearly all (97-98 percent)
individuals in each life-stage and gender group (4). The
1999 RDAs for magnesium for adults (4), in milligrams
(mg), are:
| Life-Stage | Men | Women | Pregnancy | Lactation |
| Ages 14 - 18 | 410 mg | 360 mg | 400 mg | 360 mg |
| Ages 19 - 30 | 400 mg | 310 mg | 350 mg | 310 mg |
| Ages 31 + | 420 mg | 320 mg | 360 mg | 320 mg |
| Results of two national surveys, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III-1988-91) (5) and the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes of Individuals (1994 CSFII) (4), indicated that the diets of most adult men and women do not provide the recommended amounts of magnesium. The surveys also suggested that adults age 70 and over eat less magnesium than younger adults, and that non-Hispanic black subjects consumed less magnesium than either non-Hispanic white or Hispanic subjects (4). | ||||
When can magnesium deficiency occur?
Even though dietary surveys suggest that many Americans
do not consume magnesium in recommended amounts,
magnesium deficiency is rarely seen in the United States
in adults. When magnesium deficiency does occur, it is
usually due to excessive loss of magnesium in urine,
gastrointestinal system disorders that cause a loss of
magnesium or limit magnesium absorption, or a chronically
low intake of magnesium (4, 6-9).
Treatment with diuretics (water pills), some antibiotics, and some medicine used to treat cancer, such as Cisplatin, can increase the loss of magnesium in urine (4, 10). Poorly controlled diabetes increases loss of magnesium in urine, causing a depletion of magnesium stores (6). Alcohol also increases excretion of magnesium in urine, and a high alcohol intake has been associated with magnesium deficiency (11, 12).
Gastrointestinal problems, such as malabsorption disorders, can cause magnesium depletion by preventing the body from using the magnesium in food. Chronic or excessive vomiting and diarrhea may also result in magnesium depletion (1, 9).
Signs of magnesium deficiency include confusion, disorientation, loss of appetite, depression, muscle contractions and cramps, tingling, numbness, abnormal heart rhythms, coronary spasm, and seizures (1, 4, 9).
Healthy adults who eat a varied diet do not generally
need to take a magnesium supplement. Magnesium
supplementation is usually indicated when a specific
health problem or condition causes an excessive loss of
magnesium or limits magnesium absorption (2, 6, 7,
11-16).
Extra magnesium may be required by individuals with conditions that cause excessive urinary loss of magnesium, chronic malabsorption, severe diarrhea and steatorrhea, and chronic or severe vomiting.
Loop and thiazide diuretics, such as Lasix, Bumex, Edecrin, and Hydrochlorothiazide, can increase loss of magnesium in urine (7). Medicines such as Cisplatin (10), which is widely used to treat cancer, and the antibiotics Gentamicin, Amphotericin, and Cyclosporin also cause the kidneys to excrete (lose) more magnesium in urine (6). Doctors routinely monitor magnesium levels of individuals who take these medicines and prescribe magnesium supplements if indicated.
Poorly controlled diabetes increases loss of magnesium in urine and may increase an individual's need for magnesium. A medical doctor would determine the need for extra magnesium in this situation. Routine supplementation with magnesium is not indicated for individuals with well-controlled diabetes (14, 15, 17, 18).
People who abuse alcohol are at high risk for magnesium deficiency because alcohol increases urinary excretion of magnesium. Low blood levels of magnesium occur in 30 percent to 60 percent of alcoholics, and in nearly 90 percent of patients experiencing alcohol withdrawal (12). In addition, alcoholics who substitute alcohol for food will usually have lower magnesium intakes (11, 12). Medical doctors routinely evaluate the need for extra magnesium in this population.
The loss of magnesium through diarrhea and fat malabsorption usually occurs after intestinal surgery or infection, but it can occur with chronic malabsorptive problems such as Crohn's disease, gluten sensitive enteropathy, and regional enteritis (13). Individuals with these conditions may need extra magnesium. The most common symptom of fat malabsorption, or steatorrhea, is passing greasy, offensive-smelling stools.
Occasional vomiting should not cause an excessive loss of magnesium, but conditions that cause frequent or severe vomiting may result in a loss of magnesium large enough to require supplementation. In these situations, your medical doctor would determine the need for a magnesium supplement.
Individuals with chronically low blood levels of potassium and calcium may have an underlying problem with magnesium deficiency. Adding magnesium supplements to their diets may make potassium and calcium supplementation more effective for them (2, 16). Doctors routinely evaluate magnesium status when potassium and calcium levels are abnormal, and prescribe a magnesium supplement when indicated.
What is the best way to get extra magnesium?
Doctors will measure
blood levels of magnesium whenever a magnesium deficiency
is suspected. When levels are mildly depleted, increasing
dietary intake of magnesium can help restore blood levels
to normal. Eating at least five servings of fruits and
vegetables daily, and choosing dark-green leafy
vegetables often, as recommended by the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans, the Food Guide Pyramid, and the
Five-a-Day program, will help adults at-risk of having a
magnesium deficiency consume recommended amounts of
magnesium. When blood levels of magnesium are very low,
an intravenous drip (IV drip) may be needed to return
levels to normal. Magnesium tablets also may be
prescribed, but some forms, in particular magnesium
salts, can cause diarrhea (19). Your medical doctor or
qualified health-care provider can recommend the best way
to get extra magnesium when it is needed.
What are some current
issues and controversies about magnesium?
Evidence suggests that
magnesium may play an important role in regulating blood
pressure (4). Diets that provide plenty of fruits and
vegetables, which are good sources of potassium and
magnesium, are consistently associated with lower blood
pressure (20-22). The DASH study (Dietary Approaches to
Stop Hypertension) suggested that high blood pressure
could be significantly lowered by a diet high in
magnesium, potassium, and calcium, and low in sodium and
fat (23-26). In another study, the effect of various
nutritional factors on incidence of high blood pressure
was examined in over 30,000 U.S. male health
professionals. After four years of follow-up, it was
found that a greater magnesium intake was significantly
associated with a lower risk of hypertension (27). The
evidence is strong enough that the Joint National
Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and
Treatment of High Blood Pressure recommends maintaining
an adequate magnesium intake as a positive lifestyle
modification for preventing and managing high blood
pressure (28-30).
Magnesium deficiency can
cause metabolic changes that may contribute to heart
attacks and strokes (31-33). There is also evidence that
low body stores of magnesium increase the risk of
abnormal heart rhythms (4), which may increase the risk
of complications associated with a heart attack.
Population surveys have associated higher blood levels of
magnesium with lower risk of coronary heart disease
(34-36). In addition, dietary surveys have suggested that
a higher magnesium intake is associated with a lower risk
of stroke (37). Further studies are needed to understand
the complex relationships between dietary magnesium
intake, indicators of magnesium status, and heart
disease.
Magnesium deficiency may
be a risk factor for postmenopausal osteoporosis (4).
This may be due to the fact that magnesium deficiency
alters calcium metabolism and the hormone that regulates
calcium (13). Several studies have suggested that
magnesium supplementation may improve bone mineral
density (4), but researchers believe that further
investigation on the role of magnesium in bone metabolism
and osteoporosis is needed.
Magnesium is important
to carbohydrate metabolism. It may influence the release
and activity of insulin, the hormone that helps control
blood glucose levels (15). Elevated blood glucose levels
increase the loss of magnesium in the urine, which in
turn lowers blood levels of magnesium [(14). This
explains why low blood levels of magnesium (hypomagnesemia)
are seen in poorly controlled type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
In 1992, the American Diabetes Association issued a consensus statement that concluded: "Adequate dietary magnesium intake can generally be achieved by a nutritionally balanced meal plan as recommended by the American Diabetes Association." It recommended that "... only diabetic patients at high risk of hypomagnesemia should have total serum (blood) magnesium assessed, and such levels should be repleted (replaced) only if hypomagnesemia can be demonstrated" (18).
What is the health risk of too much
magnesium?
Dietary magnesium does not pose a health risk, however
very high doses of magnesium supplements, which may be
added to laxatives, can promote adverse effects such as
diarrhea. Magnesium toxicity is more often associated
with kidney failure, when the kidney loses the ability to
remove excess magnesium. Very large doses of laxatives
also have been associated with magnesium toxicity, even
with normal kidney function (38). The elderly are at risk
of magnesium toxicity because kidney function declines
with age and they are more likely to take
magnesium-containing laxatives and antacids.
Signs of excess magnesium can be similar to magnesium deficiency and include mental status changes, nausea, diarrhea, appetite loss, muscle weakness, difficulty breathing, extremely low blood pressure, and irregular heartbeat (4, 39-41).
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences has established a tolerable upper intake level (UL) for supplementary magnesium for adolescents and adults at 350 mg daily. As intake increases above the UL, the risk of adverse effects increases (4).
Table of Food Sources of Magnesium (3)
| Food |
Milligrams
|
%DV*
|
| 100 percent Bran, 2 Tbs |
44
|
11
|
| Avocado, Florida, 1/2 med |
103
|
26
|
| Wheat germ, toasted, 1 oz |
90
|
22
|
| Almonds, dry roasted, 1 oz |
86
|
21
|
| Cereal, shredded wheat, 2 rectangular biscuits |
80
|
20
|
| Seeds, pumpkin, 1/2 oz |
75
|
19
|
| Cashews, dry roasted, 1 oz |
73
|
18
|
| Nuts, mixed, dry roasted, 1 oz |
66
|
17
|
| Spinach, cooked, 1/2 c |
65
|
16
|
| Bran flakes, 1/2 c |
60
|
15
|
| Cereal, oats, instant/fortified, cooked w/ water, 1 c |
56
|
14
|
| Potato, baked w/ skin, 1 med |
55
|
14
|
| Soybeans, cooked, 1/2 c |
54
|
14
|
| Peanuts, dry roasted, 1 oz |
50
|
13
|
| Peanut butter, 2 Tbs. |
50
|
13
|
| Chocolate bar, 1.45 oz |
45
|
11
|
| Vegetarian baked beans, 1/2 c |
40
|
10
|
| Potato, baked w/out skin, 1 med |
40
|
10
|
| Avocado, California, 1/2 med |
35
|
9
|
| Lentils, cooked, 1/2 c |
35
|
9
|
| Banana, raw, 1 medium |
34
|
9
|
| Shrimp, mixed species, raw, 3 oz (12 large) |
29
|
7
|
| Tahini, 2 Tbs |
28
|
7
|
| Raisins, golden seedless, 1/2 c packed |
28
|
7
|
| Cocoa powder, unsweetened, 1 Tbs |
27
|
7
|
| Bread, whole wheat, 1 slice |
24
|
6
|
| Spinach, raw, 1 c |
24
|
6
|
| Kiwi fruit, raw, 1 med |
23
|
6
|
| Hummus, 2 Tbs |
20
|
5
|
| Broccoli, chopped, boiled, 1/2 c |
19
|
5
|
| *DV = Daily Value. DVs are reference numbers based on the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). They were developed to help consumers determine if a food contains very much of a specific nutrient. The DV for magnesium is 400 milligrams (mg). The percent DV (%DV) listed on the nutrition facts panel of food labels tells adults what percentage of the DV is provided by one serving. Even foods that provide lower percentages of the DV will contribute to a healthful diet. |
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This Fact Sheet was developed by the Clinical Nutrition Service, Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, in conjunction with the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) in the Office of the Director of NIH. The mission of ODs is to strengthen knowledge and understanding of dietary supplements by evaluating scientific information, stimulating and supporting research, disseminating research results, and educating the public to foster an enhanced quality of life and health for the US population. The Clinical Nutrition Service and the ODs would like to thank the expert scientific reviewers for their role in ensuring the scientific accuracy of the information discussed in this Fact Sheet.
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Magnesium is needed for efficient production of more than 300 enzymes, yet 80 percent of all Americans are deficient. It is also involved in protein metabolism, utilization of fats and carbohydrates and is necessary for proper nerve and brain function, maintaining healthy teeth, gums, and muscle growth and strength. With regular supplement use:
Supplements allow people with Type II diabetes to regulate blood sugar more easily. As a result, the need for oral diabetes drugs usually diminishes and could disappear altogether.6 People susceptible to bouts of hypoglycemia, too, can stabilize the roller-coaster rise and fall of their blood sugar. In controlling high blood pressure, Magnesium works like a natural calcium channel blocker, a standard antihypertension drug, but without ill effect.7 Some 60 percent of all hypertension-related complications could be avoided if pregnant women were to take Magnesium.8 Counteracts fatigue in mitral valve prolapse and resupplies Magnesium to correct blood sugar. Consistently effective for migraine headaches, premunstrual tension, chronic lung disorders (asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, etc.) Great on-the-spot treatment and when given intravenously, it stops an asthma attack cold.9 For preventing and perhaps reversing osteoporosis, Magnesium might be more important than Calcium. Without it, and other trace minerals, any additional Calcium we ingesr will be deposited not around our bones, but elsewhere. Besides encouranging a more restful sleep, it also works against bruxism (an involuntary grinding of the teeth while asleep). Its wide range of actions helps against chemical sensitivities, bacterial and viral infections, leg cramps, kidney stones, and intermittent claudication (an impairment in blood flow to the legs that causes pain upon exertion.)
See Magnesium in Oncogenesis and In Anti-Cancer Treatment: Interaction With Minerals and Vitamins.
For most people a daily dosage of 400-1000 mg is recommended. [Karl Loren recommends as much as 2000 mg per day]
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| 1. Keller, P.K., and R.S. Aronson, Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, May-June 1990; 32(6):433-48. |
| 2. Sanjuliani, A., International Journal of Cardiology, 1996; 56: 177-83. |
| 3. Seelig, M.S., American Journal of Cardiology, 1991; 1221-22. |
| 4. Ravn, H., Thrombosis and Hemostasis, 1996; 76:88-93. |
| 5. Rabbani, L., et al., Clinical Cardiology, 1996; 79:841-44. |
| 6. Tosiello, L., Archives of Internal Medicine, June 10, 1996; 156:1143-48. |
| 7. Wirell, M., et al., Journal of Internal Medicine, Aug. 1994; 236:189-93. |
| 8. Zarcone, R., et al., Panminerva Medica, Dec. 1994;36(4):168-70. |
| 9. Skobeloff, E., Journal of the American Medical Association, 1989;262:1210-13 |
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