Magnesium: do not go overboard with the fashionable mineral

every so often, one nutrient monopolizes attention and lots of benefits and healing properties are beginning to be attributed to it. Magnesium is one of them: suddenly seems like a panacea for many ailments and taking magnesium supplements is advised, but it pays to do your research before doing so.

What is magnesium?

Magnesium is a mineral essential in many metabolic processes: Necessary for the immune system, for muscular and nervous function, for bone and cardiovascular health. It is also involved in protein synthesis and energy production.

Discover in this video the 7 benefits of magnesium.

It is also a necessary mineral for the DNA synthesis and for the proper functioning of some neurotransmitters.

magnesium sources

Magnesium is basically present in the vegetarian food (especially in dark green leafy vegetables, because it is part of the chlorophyll molecules), and also in legumes (especially soybeans and their derivatives), nuts, seeds, whole grains, cocoa and dairy products.

How much magnesium is needed?

It is a mineral present in our diet and its deficiency is unusual under normal conditions, with a minimally healthy diet.

According to the European Food Safety Authority, men 18 years and older need 350 mg daily of magnesium, and women 300mgwithout variations in pregnancy or lactation.

A medium artichoke contains about 77 mg of magnesium, 20-25% of daily needs

magnesium deficiency

Is there a deficit? The answer is a resounding “no.” The National Dietary Intake Survey tells us that the average magnesium intake of the Spanish population is between 300 and 400 mg per day, with variations depending on the age group, and that only 24-year-old women remain slightly below that figure.

It seems unlikely, therefore, that we need to generalize magnesium supplementation to the healthy population, when their requirements are covered well with the diet.

Causes of the deficit

The most frequent causes in our environment are:

He alcoholismdigestive problems with malabsorptionthe use of some diuretic drugsThe treatments with chemotherapy

In all these cases, the correct action is fix the basic problemnot simply give supplements (and only if necessary).

Are diabetics more at risk of deficiency?

People with type 2 diabetes are more at risk of having a deficiency, especially if the diabetes is not controlled. However, the American Diabetes Association says that supplementing magnesium to those who are not deficient has no significant effect on the management of their pathology.

And the athletes?

Magnesium deficiency is also more common in High performance sportsmenthat they should go to a dietitian-nutritionist to obtain professional nutrition advice adapted to their specific needs.

Vegans, no problem

On the other side we have people who follow a vegetarian diet, especially vegans, with a Magnesium intake higher than that of the general populationaccording to data from EPIC-Oxford in 2016 (which studies the relationship between diet and cancer and other diseases).

The vegan diet more than covers the magnesium needs of the body

Supplement, yes or no?

In light of these data, it does not appear that the voices that alarm about a general magnesium deficiency have another justification than filling the pockets of a few. A healthy diet covers our requirements without problem.

More magnesium is not better. Adding more magnesium when we already take enough with food, does not provide advantages.

It is true that there are some cases in which high doses of magnesium can have a therapeutic effect in some ailments, such as migraine. But that does not have to do with a regular low-dose supplement, but with other types of treatments that must be properly prescribed and supervised.

Adverse effects

Take 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 this is not common, but caution must be exercised in kidney patients and in children.