Magnesium and its Importance

By: Frank Landrens

Magnesium is a mineral that not many of us give any thought to. However, magnesium is very important to include in our diet and deficiencies of magnesium can be dangerous. We should all be eating a healthy and balanced diet, and it is important to know all of the vitamins and minerals we need to be getting.

All the cells in you body use magnesium. Magnesium keeps bones strong, helps maintain nerve and muscle functioning, and, perhaps most important, keeps the heart beating steadily. It's easy to see why a deficiency of this mineral is dangerous to your health. Magnesium can be found in naturally in green leafy vegetables, nuts, seed, and some whole grains.

Your body only requires a small amount of magnesium, but there is also only a minute amount of magnesium found in most of the foods listed above. This is why it is so critical to eat a balanced diet full of healthy and nutritious foods.

The symptoms of Magnesium deficiency include disorientation, confusion, depression, abnormal heartbeat, loss of appetite, cramps, numbness, and seizures. Magnesium deficiency is fairly uncommon. Magnesium deficiencies has been linked to over-consumption of alcohol. Magnesium is often depleted though the urine and magnesium deficiencies.

To find out what the recommended daily amount of magnesium is you can ask your doctor or nutritionist. There are also many books and websites that can help you determine how much magnesium you should be consuming each day. This number differs for men, women, different age groups, pregnant women, and lactating women. Knowing how much magnesium you should be taking, and how much is in certain foods, is a great way to prevent any deficiencies.

You can take magnesium supplements or multi vitamins in case you do not think you are getting enough magnesium in your diet. You probably are not getting enough of other vitamins and minerals as well in case you are not getting enough magnesium. Fresh and healthy foods is the best source for all vitamins and minerals, the next best thing is a multi vitamin.

If you find yourself relying on multi vitamins for all your dietary needs you should consider some drastic changes in your eating habits. There are a number of conditions that could require you to take a magnesium supplement. For example if you have chronic malabsorption you may need to take a supplement to ensure you have enough magnesium in your diet.

Studies indicate that magnesium can be useful in lowering high blood pressure or hypertension. While there is no definitive proof, it certainly cannot hurt to increase the number of vegetables and fruits you eat each day. Magnesium deficiencies are also linked to metabolic changes that can result in heart attacks or strokes. As you can see, magnesium is an essential mineral to have in your diet.

While magnesium is essential, there is also a danger of consuming too much magnesium. If you are relying on your diet to provide magnesium there is little risk of any overdose. However if you ingest too many supplements there is the danger of magnesium toxicity. There are a number of symptoms that are very similar to magnesium deficiencies, be wary of taking too many supplements, laxatives, and antacids.

Make sure you are getting the proper amounts of fruits and vegetables each day, as magnesium is a very important mineral. You probably never need to worry about a magnesium deficiency if you eat a balanced diet.

Article Source: http://www.retirementlivingarticledirectory.com

Frank Landrens is the owner of BHP Magnesium, the #1 source on the internet for information about magnesium. For more articles on magnesium visit: www.bhpmagnesium.com/articles
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