Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Determining how much magnesium you need
• Part 2 of 2: Improve your body's ability to absorb magnesium
• Tips
• Warnings

Magnesium offers many physical and mental health benefits. Still, many people don't get enough magnesium to enjoy those benefits. The best way to make sure you have enough magnesium in your body is to include foods rich in magnesium such as vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains in your diet. And if you don't get enough magnesium through your diet, you should consider whether you should not take a dietary supplement, perhaps on a daily basis. And to take full advantage of such a supplement, you must ensure that your body can indeed absorb the magnesium.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Determining how much magnesium you need

1. Understand the importance of magnesium. Every organ in your body needs magnesium to function properly. Magnesium contributes to several important bodily functions, including:
   • Regulating the functioning of your muscles and nerves
   • Maintaining your blood pressure and blood sugar level
   • The production of proteins, bone mass and DNA
   • Regulating the level of calcium in your body
   • Magnesium also helps ensure that you sleep well and relax.
2. Understand how magnesium is absorbed into your body. Magnesium is therefore extremely important, but it can sometimes be difficult for our body to get enough of it. This is mainly because many people simply do not include it in their diet, but there are other factors that can hinder the absorption of magnesium, such as:
   • Too much (or too little) calcium
   • Medical causes such as diabetes, Crohn's disease, or alcohol addiction
   • Medicines that stop the absorption of magnesium
   • Another reason that many people, especially people in the United States, have a magnesium deficiency is that there is virtually no magnesium in our soil. And as a result, the crops produced by that soil also contain much less magnesium.
3. Determine how much magnesium you should actually be getting. The amount of magnesium you need depends on age, gender and other factors. In principle, an adult man should not consume more than 420 mg per day, while women should generally not exceed 320 mg.
   • It's a good idea to talk to your doctor about the amount of magnesium you should be getting, especially if you think you may be deficient.
   • If you are already taking a multivitamin preparation, first make sure that you would not get too much magnesium if you were to take it with a magnesium supplement. This also applies to calcium, as it is usually found in magnesium supplements as well.
   • Don't forget to mention any chronic illnesses or ailments. Conditions such as gluten allergy and Crohn's disease affect the body's absorption of magnesium. These conditions can also lead to magnesium loss due to diarrhea.
   • Be aware of the consequences of aging. Our body's ability to absorb magnesium decreases as we age. Moreover, magnesium leaves our body more easily as we age. Studies have also shown that older people's diets tend to be lower in magnesium. Older people are also more likely to take medications that affect magnesium absorption.
   • Always seek advice from your doctor before allowing children to take a magnesium supplement.
4. Note the presence of signs of magnesium deficiency. If your magnesium deficiency is no more than a temporary problem, you probably won't see any symptoms at all. But if you have a chronic magnesium deficiency, you can suffer from certain symptoms, such as:
   • Nausea
   • Throwing up
   • Lack of appetite
   • Fatigue
   • Spastic muscles or muscle cramps
   • If you have a severe magnesium deficiency, you may experience tingling or numbness. And it can even lead to cardiac arrhythmias, a heart attack or changes in your character.
   • If you regularly experience one or more of these symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor.
5. Try to get magnesium through what you eat. Unless you have a medical condition that makes it difficult for your body to absorb magnesium, you should basically be able to get enough magnesium by eating the right foods. Before you start taking nutritional supplements, you should check whether you can supplement your magnesium deficiency through your diet. Foods rich in magnesium include:
   • Nuts such as almonds and Brazil nuts
   • Seeds, including pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
   • Soy products such as tofu
   • Fish species such as halibut and tuna
   • Dark, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, cabbage and Swiss chard
   • Bananas
   • Chocolate and cocoa powder
   • Many types of herbs such as coriander, cumin and sage
6. Choose a magnesium supplement. If you decide to take a supplement, choose a supplement that contains magnesium in a form that is easily absorbed. Look for a supplement that contains at least one of the following ingredients:
   • Magnesium aspartate. This form of magnesium is chemically bound (through a process called chelation) to aspartic acid. Aspartic acid is an amino acid that is commonly found in protein-rich foods that make it easier for your body to absorb magnesium.
   • Magnesium Citrate. This comes from the salt or citric acid from magnesium. The amount of magnesium in it is quite low, but it is easily absorbed. This form of magnesium has a mild laxative effect.
   • Magnesium lactate. This is a moderately concentrated form of magnesium that is often prescribed for digestive problems. People with kidney problems should not take this supplement.
   • Magnesium Chloride. This is also a form of magnesium that is easily absorbed. This type of magnesium also ensures that your kidneys function better, as does your metabolism.
7. Watch for signs that you have consumed too much magnesium. The chance that you will get too much magnesium through your diet is not great, but you could take too many magnesium supplements. This would lead to magnesium poisoning, which can cause the following symptoms, among others:
   • Diarrhea
   • Nausea
   • Stomach cramps
   • In extreme cases, an irregular heartbeat and / or cardiac arrest

Part 2 of 2: Improve your body's ability to absorb magnesium

1. Talk to your doctor about any medications you are taking. Taking magnesium can affect the way some medicines work. Medicines can also affect your body's ability to absorb the magnesium supplements you take. This category includes the following medicines:
   • Water tablets
   • Antibiotics
   • Bisphosphonates, such as the bisphosphonates prescribed for osteoporosis
   • Medicines for heartburn
2. Consider taking vitamin D. Certain studies have shown that by increasing your vitamin D intake, you can promote your body's absorption of magnesium.
   • You can eat foods rich in vitamin D such as tuna, cheese, eggs and fortified breakfast cereals.
   • To provide your body with extra vitamin D, you can also spend a little more time outside in the sun.
3. Get the right amount of minerals. Certain minerals hinder the absorption of magnesium by your body. You should also avoid taking mineral supplements around the time you take your magnesium supplement.
   • In particular, both a surplus and a shortage of calcium in your body can cause your body to absorb less magnesium. Therefore, make sure that you do not consume too much calcium when you take magnesium supplements. At the same time, you also have to be careful not to skip the calcium completely, as that could make the absorption of magnesium more difficult.
   • Studies have also shown that the level of magnesium in your body appears to be related to the level of potassium. What exactly this relationship is based on is not entirely clear yet. Yet it is not the intention that you suddenly take in much more or no potassium at all when you try to increase the level of magnesium in your body.
4. Drink less alcohol. Alcohol increases the amount of magnesium that we excrete in our urine. Studies have shown that many alcoholics are deficient in magnesium in their bodies.
   • Alcohol causes a direct and significant increase in urinary elimination of magnesium and other electrolytes. This means that even moderate drinking can decrease the magnesium content in your body.
   • People trying to overcome alcohol addiction show the lowest decreases in magnesium levels in their body.
5. Pay extra attention to the magnesium content in your body if you have diabetes. If you don't manage diabetes properly through your diet, lifestyle and the right medicines, a magnesium deficiency can be the result.
   • People with diabetes have a problem that too much magnesium leaves their body in the urine. With insufficient control, the magnesium content of diabetics can therefore quickly become too low.
6. Take magnesium throughout the day. Instead of taking all your magnesium at once, you should take smaller amounts throughout the day. For example, take some magnesium with every meal, along with a large glass of water. That way your body will be able to process the magnesium better.
   • Some people recommend taking your magnesium supplement on an empty stomach if your body has difficulty absorbing the magnesium. Sometimes the minerals found in the food in your stomach can affect your body's ability to absorb magnesium. On the other hand, taking magnesium on a completely empty stomach can sometimes upset your stomach.
   • The American Mayo Clinic therefore recommends taking magnesium only with meals. If you take it on an empty stomach, you could suffer from diarrhea.
   • So-called time-release preparations, where the magnesium is only released further down in the intestine, can also promote absorption by the body.
7. Watch what you eat. In addition to minerals, there are also certain foods that can prevent your body from absorbing magnesium properly. Try not to eat the following foods around the time you take your magnesium supplement:
   • Foods that contain a lot of fiber and phytic acid. These are, for example, products based on wheat bran or whole grain cereal products such as brown rice, barley, or wholemeal bread.
   • Foods rich in oxalic acid (acidic acid). This includes, for example, coffee, tea, chocolate, green leafy vegetables and nuts. Steaming or cooking foods with a high oxalic acid content can remove some of the acid. Therefore, choose cooked spinach instead of a spinach salad. Soaking legumes and certain cereals before cooking them can also help.

Tips

• Most people can easily make up for a magnesium deficiency by making some changes to their diet. If you want to try to make up for a deficiency with the help of nutritional supplements, this is usually also a safe way, as long as you do not exceed the prescribed dose.
• Sometimes people feel a lot better when they take a magnesium supplement, even though blood tests indicate that the magnesium levels in their blood are basically "within the range" of the recommended values. It makes many people feel more energetic, their skin looks better and even the thyroid gland often works better.

Warnings

• Magnesium deficiency can also cause fatigue. It can weaken your immune system and you can suffer from muscle cramps. In extreme cases, it can lead to mental confusion, anxiety, panic attacks, weight gain, premature aging and dry, wrinkled skin.
• In people who have an extremely low magnesium level in their body, the deficiency must sometimes be supplemented by administering magnesium via an IV.