Magnesium - An Important Mineral By Frank Landrens Magnesium is a mineral that not many of us give any thought to. However, magnesium is very important to include in our and deficiencies of magnesium can be dangerous. We should all be eating a healthy and balanced diet, and it is important to know all of the vitamins and minerals we need to be getting.
All the cells in your body use Magnesium. It helps maintain nerve and muscle functioning, keep bones strong, and keeps the heart rhythmic and steady. Hence, you can see why deficiency of this mineral can be dangerous. Magnesium is found in nuts, green leafy vegetables, seed, and some whole grains.
Your body only requires a small amount of magnesium, but there is also only a minute amount of magnesium found in most of the foods listed above. This is why it is so critical to eat a balanced full of healthy and nutritious foods.
Magnesium deficiency is fairly uncommon but symptoms include disorientation, confusion, depression, abnormal heart beat, loss of appetite, cramps, numbness, and seizures. Magnesium is often depleted though the urine and over-consumption of alcohol has been linked to magnesium deficiencies.
You can ask your doctor or nutritionist as to what the recommended daily amount of magnesium is. Many books and websites can help you determine how much magnesium you should be consuming each day. This number varies for men, women, different age groups, pregnant women, and lactating women. A great way to prevent any deficiencies is by knowing how much magnesium you should be taking, and how much is in certain foods.
If you do not think you are getting enough magnesium in your
diet consider taking a supplement. You can take magnesium supplements or multi vitamins. If you are not getting enough magnesium you probably are not getting enough of other vitamins and minerals as well. The best source for all vitamins and minerals is fresh and healthy foods, but the next best thing is a multi vitamin.
If you find yourself relying solely on multi vitamins for your dietary needs, perhaps you should consider making some changes in your eating habits. There are some conditions that may require you to take a magnesium supplement. One example is if you have chronic malabsorption of magnesium, you may need to take a supplement to guarantee that you have enough magnesium in your diet.
Some studies have shown that high blood pressure or hypertension can be lowered by magnesium. Whether or not this is true it cannot hurt to increase the number of vegetables and fruits you eat each day. Metabolic changes that may cause heart attacks or strokes have been linked to Magnesium deficiencies. As you can see, magnesium is a very important mineral to have in your diet.
Be wary of taking too many supplements, laxatives, and antacids. There is the danger of too much magnesium. There is little risk of any overdose if you are getting magnesium through your diet. However if you take too many supplements there is the danger of magnesium toxicity. The symptoms of too much magnesium are very similar to those of magnesium deficiencies.
Make sure you are getting the proper amounts of fruits and vegetables each day, as magnesium is a very important mineral. You probably never need to worry about a magnesium deficiency if you eat a balanced diet.
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