Are you low in this important mineral?

If you are having

Muscle weakness and fatigue

• Loss of appetite

• Nausea⁹

• Muscle spasms and cramps

• Mood or personality changes 

• Tingling⁵

• Stiffness

• Insomnia¹⁰

• Abnormal heartbeat

Low magnesium may not cause symptoms in the beginning because your bloodstream

will borrow excess magnesium from your cells or bones.⁶

Magnesium and Other Vitamins and Minerals

Magnesium, potassium, vitamin D, and calcium work together .

Stable levels of each of these are needed for your body to function properly.

⁴⁵ 

• Magnesium helps regulate potassium. 

• Magnesium helps turn vitamin D into its usable form.

• Vitamin D helps with magnesium absorption (from food). 

• Vitamin D and magnesium help control the parathyroid hormone (PTH). 

• Low vitamin D causes PTH levels to rise, causing a loss of too much magnesium in the urine.

• Severe magnesium deficiency can lead to low calcium levels.

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• Causes of magnesium deficiency ^11:

  • Poor diet: Not eating enough foods that contain magnesium, like nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables, and dark chocolate

  • Heavy alcohol use

  • Certain medications: Long-term use of medications like diuretics, proton pump inhibitors, and some antibiotics

  • Diabetes and other endocrine or metabolic disorders

  • Digestive conditions: Having a condition like inflammatory bowel disease or experiencing long-term vomiting or diarrhea

  • Kidney disease

  • Vitamin D deficiencyCauses of magnesium deficiency include the following:¹¹

    • Poor diet: Not eating enough foods that contain magnesium, like nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables, and dark chocolate

    • Heavy alcohol use

    • Certain medications: Long-term use of medications like diuretics, proton pump inhibitors, and some antibiotics

    • Diabetes and other endocrine or metabolic disorders

    • Digestive conditions: Having a condition like inflammatory bowel disease or experiencing long-term vomiting or diarrhea

    • Kidney disease

    • Vitamin D deficiency

• 
  

Causes of magnesium deficiency

• Poor diet: Not eating enough foods that contain magnesium, like nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables, and dark chocolate

• Heavy alcohol use

• Certain medications: Long-term use of medications like diuretics, proton pump inhibitors, and some antibiotics

• Diabetes and other endocrine or metabolic disorders

• Digestive conditions: Having a condition like inflammatory bowel disease or experiencing long-term vomiting or diarrhea

• Kidney disease

• Vitamin D deficiency

Risks of Untreated Low Magnesium 

Left untreated, low magnesium levels can lead to the onset or worsening of the following health conditions:⁸¹⁶⁴

Al Alawi AM, Majoni SW, Falhammar H. Magnesium and human health: perspectives and research directions. International Journal of Endocrinology. 2018;2018:1-17. doi:10.1155/2018/9041694 

• Seizures¹²

• Heart rhythm disturbances

• High blood pressure (hypertension)

• Osteoporosis

• Migraines

• Type 2 diabetes 

• Coronary artery disease

• Stroke

• Congestive heart failure (CHF)

• Asthma

• Kidney stones

• High cholesterol or triglycerides

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)

• Mental health disorders

Low Magnesium May Be a Sign of Preeclampsia in Pregnant People

It’s also important to note that low magnesium levels in pregnant people may be a sign of preeclampsia or eclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy).¹²⁸

Treatment

Depending on your level of magnesium deficiency, underlying health conditions, and the medications you take, your healthcare provider may recommend dietary changes or supplementation.¹

Dietary Changes

Dietary changes may involve increasing magnesium-rich foods and limiting sugar, saturated fat, sodium, and alcohol.

While this is not an exhaustive list, magnesium-rich foods include:³¹

Magnesium Supplementation

Magnesium supplements come in various forms such as magnesium oxide, citrate, and chloride. Some types may be more appropriate for your condition and are better absorbed by the body than others.¹³

If you need oral magnesium supplements, follow a healthcare provider's guidance regarding the type, dosage, and amount. Even though magnesium supplements are natural, they can cause side effects or interact with other medications or supplements. 

If your healthcare providers need to increase your magnesium levels quickly, they will offer it to you intravenously (IV) in a hospital setting. For example, providers commonly give IV magnesium to pregnant people with preeclampsia to lower their blood pressure.⁴ 

Side Effects of Magnesium Supplements

Oral magnesium supplements are helpful for those who don’t get enough of the mineral in their diet. Possible side effects can include:

• Drowsiness

• Stomach cramps

• Diarrhea

While the research is not extensive, some people use topical (on the skin) magnesium instead of oral supplements to reduce the risk of stomach upset.³

It is possible to take too much magnesium. Also, medications such as antacids and laxatives contain a significant amount of magnesium and can cause your daily dosage to be too high.³

Testing for Low Magnesium

At-home vitamin deficiency tests are available. The self-tests typically involve a finger-prick blood sample taken at home and mailed for analysis. However, magnesium levels within the normal range do not necessarily mean you have enough magnesium. These tests do not provide information about magnesium stores in the body.⁷ 

The same applies to a serum magnesium blood test ordered by a healthcare provider.¹² Expected values vary between laboratories but are typically around 1.5 to 2.4 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).⁵ Symptoms usually occur when serum magnesium levels fall below 1.2 mg/dL.⁴ 

However, having symptoms or having a magnesium level at the lower end of the normal range could indicate a possible deficiency. The provider may order more specialized tests, like the following:⁴⁷⁶

• Red blood cell (RBC) magnesium test: Measures magnesium in your cells, not just your blood.  

• 24-hour urine test: Measures how much magnesium your kidneys excrete.

• Ionized magnesium: Measures free, unbound magnesium ions in the blood. A serum test measures both bound and free magnesium ions and is more common for those who are critically ill.

• Magnesium loading test: A healthcare provider gives you intravenous or oral magnesium and watches how you absorb and excrete it. 

• Hair mineral analysis: Evaluates mineral deficiencies and heavy metal toxicity in your hair

Symptoms of Too Much Magnesium 

Getting too much magnesium from food is not likely unless a health condition prevents your kidneys from flushing it out of the body.

High doses of magnesium -5,000 + mg/day can be toxic and cause ³¹²

• Low blood pressure or low heart rate

• Muscle weakness 

• Fatigue

• Nausea or vomiting

• Facial flushing (redness)

• Urinary retention (not able to pee)

• Paralysis (with very high levels)

• Cardiac arrest

Magnesium powder, supplement or topicals are helpful