Are You or Your Children Magnesium Deficient?

This mineral is a ‘big deal’ when it comes to protecting you from type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. And yes, your children are at risk for these diseases too.

Unfortunately, while such ailments used to be the purview (the range) of the over 50 crowds, as clinical nutritionists we now see evidence of such diseases occurring in our young children.

Here are some Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency:

• Muscle cramps, spasms

• High blood pressure

• Migraines

• Anxiety, nervousness, and insomnia

• Low energy/fatigue

• Heart palpitations and arrhythmias

• Depression

• Kidney stones

• Osteoporosis

• Constipation

• Blood sugar instability

There is a lot of Research Proving the Connection

A Gallup poll in 2004 found that 80% of Americans are not getting the recommended amount of magnesium from their diet.

Even those who used supplements, only 35% of them were achieving the recommended daily allowance of this mineral. A study on over 4500 Americans found that magnesium intake is inversely related to the risk of high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Higher intake of magnesium actually decreased triglycerides and increased good cholesterol – HDL.

A very exciting study published a few months ago from Japan, evaluated over 58,000 healthy men over a 14 year period. They found that increased magnesium intake in the diet reduced the mortality risk of dying from heart disease by a whopping 50%. There was stroke protection seen as well in a study that found that for every 100 mg increase in magnesium there was an 8-9% decreased total stroke risk.

Magnesium helps to control blood sugar and insulin. A deficiency can create insulin resistance, a condition associated with obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Several studies have seen an association between obese individuals and obese children and a magnesium deficiency. One-third of school-aged children do not meet their estimated average requirements for magnesium.

Why are You (and your fellow Americans) Deficient?

The three major reasons are:

1. Insufficient consumption of magnesium-rich foods

2. Having a condition the prevents adequate absorption of the magnesium you do consume. Celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and other forms of a leaky gut fall into this category.

3. Taking medications such as diuretics that cause a deficiency

The foods high in magnesium are:

Vegetables – Dark green leafy ones, especially Spinach and Broccoli

Nuts – Almonds, Cashews, Pine nuts, Brazil nuts

Seeds – Pumpkin and Squash seeds

Beans – Black, White, and Navy

Do You Need Some Help?

In addition to a healthy diet, you may need to supplement your magnesium. We are here to help you discover if you need assistance to normalize your very important magnesium levels. This is a safe mineral to take, but you do want to monitor the dose and ensure that it is in balance with other minerals.