Dietary magnesium toxcity?

Dietary Magnesium

Q : I’ve been taking magnesium supplements to help me with sleep and my addiction to chocolate but I heard you can get magnesium poisoning easily.

A : Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is essential to good health. Approximately 50% of total body magnesium is found in bone with the other half found predominantly inside cells of body tissues and organs. Only 1% of magnesium is found in blood, but the body works very hard to keep blood levels of magnesium constant.

Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. There is an increased interest in the role of magnesium in preventing and managing disorders such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Dietary magnesium is absorbed in the small intestines and is excreted through the kidneys.

Dietary magnesium does not pose a health risk, however pharmacologic doses of magnesium in supplements can promote adverse effects such as diarrhoea and abdominal cramping. Risk of magnesium toxicity increases with kidney failure, when the kidney loses the ability to remove excess magnesium. Very large doses of magnesium-containing laxatives and antacids also have been associated with magnesium toxicity. Therefore, it is important for medical professionals to be aware of the use of any magnesium-containing laxatives or antacids. Signs of excess magnesium can be similar to magnesium deficiency and include changes in mental status, nausea, diarrhoea, appetite loss, muscle weakness, difficulty breathing, extremely low blood pressure, and irregular heartbeat.

In your particular case, whilst Magnesium can be helpful for sleeplessness due to nervousness and cravings resulting from blood sugar imbalances, it is generally better to confirm such a deficiency first. At ICIM Medics a hair mineral analysis or blood test is conducted to confirm mineral deficiencies or indeed excesses. That way one can monitor the precise need or not as the case may be for Magnesium supplementation.

For further information on Magnesium supplements and testing contact ICIM Medics on 045 844 819 or info@icim.ie.