Hello and welcome. I am Dr George Lundberg, and this is At Large at eternalMinerals.com

How's your magnesium? I'll bet you don't even know.

Approximately 99% of total body magnesium is located in bone, muscles, and soft tissues; 1% is extracellular. Thus, plasma or serum magnesium levels are only a rough approximation of adequacies of magnesium.

Magnesium is an essential mineral, vitally involved in more than 300 regulatory enzyme systems controlling muscle, nerve, bone, protein, DNA, glucose, and energy metabolism.

A "Really Big Deal"

The recommended daily intake of magnesium vary by age and gender, but 400 mg is a good round number, for adults. The kidneys provide homeostasis, typically excreting 120 mg per day. Since the 1960s, we have known that consumption of alcohol, even in modest amounts, can double or even quadruple the excretion of magnesium. Many over-the-counter and prescription drugs, such as proton pump inhibitors, can lower body magnesium.

Is Magnesium the True Emperor of All Maladies?

Magnesium deficiency has been blamed for various arrhythmias, hypertension, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, seizures, leg cramps, restless legs syndrome, kidney stones, myocardial infarction, headaches, premenstrual syndrome, fibromyalgia, chest pain, osteoporosis, altitude sickness, diabetes, fatigue, weakness, IBS, IBD (ulcerative colitis & Crohn's disease), cystic fibrosis and other maladies.

Whoaaa. Really? That is almost everything. Can that be true? Because of the vital nature of magnesium in so many cellular functions, it actually could be true. We just don't know.

Magnesium is considered "the calming mineral."

WHO: Americans Need to Consume More Magnesium

There has been no large systematic study of the adequacy of magnesium body stores in Americans. In 2009, the World Health Organization published a report that stated that 75% of Americans consumed less magnesium than needed. Some say that we have a nationwide magnesium deficiency. Certainly, those named illnesses are common.

For most of my professional life, I have supported the adequacy of a balanced diet and opposed the addition of nutritional supplements as unnecessary, wasteful, possibly harmful, and mostly a scam. But as the "typical" American diet has evolved into one of fast foods and processed foods, my attitude has changed.

Eat spinach. Take Supplements

Since you can't just draw a blood sample and ask the lab to tell you, if [you have] any of the symptoms I listed, you might best just try that old standby, "trial of therapy," and track what happens. Since I got interested in this topic a couple of years ago, I have emphasized the inclusion of magnesium-rich foods in my diet. Since I like to drink wine and I take occasional proton pump inhibitors, I take an additional 400 mg of magnesium daily. plus, my balanced diet.

I feel terrific! Better than before magnesium.

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