5 Things You Need to Know About Magnesium

1. Little Mineral Has a Big Job
Magnesium is a mineral you consume daily in the foods you eat. It's essential to normal body function, but doesn't usually make headlines in health articles. Magnesium keeps your nerves, muscles and blood operating properly. It also stabilizes your blood sugar and blood pressure. Magnesium is an essential component in hundreds of your body's biochemical reactions. Over half of your body's magnesium resides in bone and a fourth resides in muscle tissue.

2. Eat Your Veggies
For normal body function, you must consume large amounts of magnesium each day. Many foods are chalk-full of magnesium, including green vegetables, potatoes, unprocessed grains, seeds, nuts, beans and peas. Many people do not include enough of these magnesium-rich foods in their diet. More than 75 percent of Americans are estimated to consume insufficient quantities of magnesium.

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3. Let Your Kidneys Do the Counting
In healthy people, the kidneys regulate magnesium levels remarkably well. Your kidneys release excess magnesium into your urine. If you don't eat enough magnesium, your kidneys will decrease the quantity excreted. Diseases linked to magnesium deficiency include diabetes, alcoholism and nutrient absorption disorders like Crohn's disease. Magnesium deficiency can occur in the elderly due to lowered consumption and absorption coupled with increased excretion of magnesium.

4. Check Your Medicine Cabinet
Some medicines can decrease magnesium levels in the body. These include certain diuretics like hydrochlorothiazide, the cancer fighting drug cisplatin, and several antibiotics including tetracycline, gentamicin and amphotericin. Early signs of magnesium deficiency include exhaustion, trouble sleeping, muscle weakness and twitching, irritability, confusion and poor memory. If you experience any these symptoms, tell your doctor.

5. A Little Extra, Please
Magnesium is available in tablet and capsule form anywhere that dietary supplements are sold, including pharmacies and nutrition centers. According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, adults can take 350 mg per day of magnesium supplements without negative health effects. Children ages 1 to 3 years can safely take 65 mg per day, and anyone ages 4 to 8 years can have 110 mg per day. These amounts are in addition to the magnesium consumed in food.