Emma Miller
Magnesium is found in many of the foods we eat: legumes, nuts, seeds, dairy products, and green leafy vegetables.
Magnesium is a nutrient that the human body needs to stay healthy. It is important for many processes, from regulating blood sugar and blood pressure to the nervous system.
Magnesium – the benefits and harms of supplementation
Scientists are currently continuing to study how magnesium affects health, what its benefits are, and what its harms can be.
It is believed that taking magnesium can help solve some health problems. For example, reducing blood pressure and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and reducing the risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis. Separate studies show that people whose diets are high in magnesium have a lower risk of certain types of heart disease and stroke. But these studies don’t tell us how much of the effect was due to magnesium rather than other nutrients.
Researchers have also found that people who suffer from migraines may have low magnesium levels. But don’t look at taking magnesium supplements as a way to get rid of headaches-it’s not just a lack of magnesium that can provoke them.
Excessive use of magnesium in supplements and medications can seriously harm the body. In particular, it is fraught with negative consequences such as diarrhea, nausea and abdominal cramps, irregular heartbeat, and even cardiac arrest.
When to take magnesium supplements
Magnesium is found in many of the foods we eat: legumes, nuts, seeds, dairy products, and green leafy vegetables. Inadequate intake or impaired absorption may lead to magnesium deficiency and hypomagnesemia.
To combat this problem, doctors recommend that you first correct your diet. Magnesium is also available in multivitamin and mineral supplements and other nutritional supplements. As noted in the recommendations of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), in this form magnesium is absorbed by the body better. But supplements should only be taken to treat a confirmed magnesium deficiency in the body after consultation with medical professionals.
How to take magnesium correctly
When taking supplements containing magnesium, it is necessary to be guided by the recommendations of doctors or a nutritionist. Based on the tests, a specialist will be able to advise how long to drink magnesium. The medic can also prescribe how long you can take magnesium and what the dosage should be.
The required amount of magnesium that should be taken on average per day depends on age and gender. For example, the daily allowance of magnesium for women is 310-320 mg, and for men 400-420 mg. For adolescent girls (14-18 years), the daily rate is 360 mg, and for adolescent boys – 410 mg.
When not to take magnesium
Taking supplements with this substance is contraindicated if you have severe renal failure, hypervitaminosis of vitamin B6, fructose intolerance, and a number of other conditions. Be sure to consult your doctor or dietitian to rule out any contraindications to taking magnesium.
There are also a number of drugs with which such a supplement should not be combined. The list of things not to take magnesium with includes bisphosphonates, antibiotics, diuretics, medications to relieve symptoms of acid reflux, or treatment of peptic ulcers.
