Magnesium: Is a supplement necessary?

Magnesium is often touted as a cure for what ails and the missing link in a diet. One the one hand, it is possible that magnesium is a common deficiency, on the other hand magnesium is found in a wide variety of foods and deficiency has historically been rare. Let’s look at sources and signs for deficiency and see where you fall.

Magnesium is active in more than 300 reactions in the body. It is a mineral found in fruits, vegetables, beverages, grains, some dairy products, nuts and seeds. With so many sources, a deficiency can seem hard to imagine. However, the Standard American diet (SAD diet) often lacks these mostly plant-based foods and magnesium deficiency is possible.

Magnesium deficiency can lead to sore muscles, body tightness and constipation. Magnesium has a relaxing effect and is found in laxatives. So do you need a supplement? I recommend increasing magnesium rich foods in your diet first, since there are many, and they provide additional nutrients before resorting to a magnesium supplement.

If you are choosing to take a supplement, follow the advice from NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: "Magnesium in the aspartate, citrate, lactate, and chloride forms is absorbed more completely and is more bioavailable than magnesium oxide and magnesium sulfate. Also, one study found that very high doses of zinc from supplements (142 mg/day) can interfere with magnesium absorption and disrupt the magnesium balance in the body.