Occasionally, a nutrient monopolizes the spotlight and a lot of benefits and healing properties begin to be attributed to it.
Magnesium is one of them: now it seems to be a miracle cure for many ailments and it is advisable to take it in supplements, but it is worthwhile to find out more before doing so.
What
Is Magnesium?
Magnesium is an essential mineral in many metabolic processes: necessary for the immune system, for muscular and nervous function, for bone and cardiovascular health. As well, magnesium contributes in protein synthesis and energy production.
And it is necessary for DNA synthesis and for the correct functioning of some neurotransmitters.
Sources
of Magnesium
It is present, basically, in foods of vegetable origin (especially in dark green leafy vegetables, because it forms part of the chlorophyll molecules), and also in legumes (especially soybeans and their derivatives), nuts, seeds, whole grains, cocoa and dairy products.
How
Much Do We Need?
It is a mineral present in our diet and its deficiency is unusual in normal conditions, with a minimally healthy diet.
According to the European Food Safety Authority, men 18 years of age or older need 350 mg of magnesium per day, and women 300 mg, without variations during pregnancy or lactation.
A medium
artichoke contains about 77 mg of magnesium, 20-25% of the daily needs.
Magnesium
Deficiency
Is there a deficit? The answer is a resounding "no". The National Diet Intake Survey tells us that the average magnesium intake of the Spanish population is between 300 and 400 mg per day, with variations according to age group, and that only women aged 24 years are slightly below this figure.
It seems unlikely, therefore, that we need to generalize magnesium supplements in the healthy population, when their requirements are well covered by diet.
Causes
of Deficiency
The most frequent causes in our environment are:
- Alcoholism
- Digestive
problems with malabsorption
- The use of
some diuretic drugs
- Chemotherapy treatments
In all these cases, the correct action is to solve the underlying problem, not simply to give supplements (and only if they are necessary).
What
About Diabetics?
People with type 2 diabetes are more at risk for a deficit, especially if their diabetes is not controlled.
However, the American Diabetes Association says that supplementing with magnesium for those who are not deficient has no noticeable effect on the management of their condition.
What
About Athletes?
Magnesium deficiency is also more common in high-performance athletes, who should consult a dietician-nutritionist for professional nutritional advice tailored to their specific needs.
Vegans,
No Problems
On the other side we have people who follow a vegetarian diet, especially vegans, with a higher magnesium intake than the general population, according to data from EPIC-Oxford in 2016 (which studies the relationship between diet and cancer and other diseases).
The vegan diet provides more than
enough magnesium for the body's needs.
Supplement,
Yes, or No?
In light of these data, it does not seem that the voices alarming about a generalized magnesium deficit have any justification other than to line the pockets of a few. A healthy diet covers our requirements without any problem.
More magnesium is not better. Adding more magnesium when we already take enough from our diet does not bring advantages.
It is true that there are some cases in which high doses of magnesium can have a therapeutic effect on some ailments, such as migraine.
But that has nothing to do with a usual low-dose supplement, but with other types of treatments that must be properly scheduled and supervised.
Adverse
Effects
Taking too much magnesium in the form of supplements on our own can have adverse effects such as diarrhea, nausea and other digestive discomfort.
At very high doses, it can have more serious effects, although it is not common, but caution should be exercised in renal patients and children.
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