Magnesium deficiency
Calf cramps, back pain, lack of drive, high blood pressure: these and many more symptoms can indicate a magnesium deficiency! Magnesium is an essential mineral: vital, but the body cannot produce it itself. Therefore, magnesium must be taken in daily through food or dietary supplements. If the requirement is not met, the body is not optimally supplied with magnesium and shows deficiency symptoms. How does a magnesium deficiency develop and what are the symptoms? How can a deficiency be treated?
Symptoms
In the middle of the night you suddenly wake up in pain: a cramp in your calf! Painful and unpleasant, it surprises you and only goes away after you have stretched the calf muscles for a while. Cramps are a typical symptom of magnesium deficiency. The following symptoms can also indicate a magnesium deficiency [1], [2]:
Physical symptoms: Muscle tremors, eyelid twitching, muscle weakness, muscle tension, especially in the neck and shoulders, back and neck pain, numbness and tingling in the arms and legs.
General well-being: Fatigue, general exhaustion, lack of drive, lack of concentration, inner restlessness, headaches and migraines, increased irritability, depressive mood, sensitivity to noise and ringing in the ears
Cardiovascular system: card iac arrhythmias, circulatory problems, high blood pressure, dizziness
Digestion: stomach cramps, nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, loss of appetite
Menstruation: menstrual irregularities, menstrual pain, increased menstrual bleeding
Not all symptoms are specific to a magnesium deficiency; they can also indicate another nutrient deficiency or other diseases. Therefore, self-diagnosis can be dangerous! If you observe one or more symptoms over a longer period of time, you should definitely contact your doctor.
How does magnesium deficiency develop?
A deficiency can occur in different ways: through insufficient intake with food, through reduced absorption in the intestine or through intensive excretion via the kidneys and skin. In rare cases, it is genetically determined.
Magnesium deficiency due to reduced intake
A common cause of magnesium deficiency is an unbalanced diet. Those who prefer white flour products to whole grain products and have completely eliminated seeds, kernels and nuts from their diet run the risk of regularly taking in too little magnesium. Eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia and frequent dieting can also lead to magnesium deficiency due to reduced magnesium intake.
Magnesium deficiency due to reduced absorption in the intestine
In the case of a chronic intestinal inflammation such as coeliac disease or Crohn's disease, but also in the case of an absorption disorder (malabsorption), the magnesium cannot be absorbed correctly in the intestine.
Magnesium deficiency due to too intensive excretion via kidneys and skin
During sports, in the sauna, but also during heavy physical work, the body sweats and loses minerals through the skin: about 36 mg of magnesium per litre of fluid sweated out [3].
Permanent stress can also lead to increased magnesium excretion: Stress hormones constrict the blood vessels, whereupon more magnesium is released into the blood to relax the vessels again. Excess magnesium is then excreted by the kidneys. Some medicines can increase the excretion of magnesium through the kidneys. These include, for example, laxatives and diuretics, antibiotics or the contraceptive pill. If taken over a long period of time, magnesium deficiency can occur.
Diabetics often have an increased need for magnesium because magnesium is lost through the urine if the blood sugar level is not optimally adjusted. People with kidney dysfunction also excrete more magnesium. If this is not covered by additional magnesium intake, magnesium deficiency can occur. Frequent, high alcohol consumption also regularly leads to the excretion of too much magnesium.
Genetic magnesium deficiency
0.1 % to 1 % of the population suffers from a genetic magnesium deficiency. In this hereditary disease, magnesium is only insufficiently absorbed in the intestine. The daily requirement cannot be sufficiently covered by food, only by dietary supplements or prescription drugs.
Depleted soils
But even if you eat a healthy diet, don't suffer from any illnesses and sweat little, you may not be absorbing enough magnesium through your diet. This is because monocultures and the use of pesticides prevent the regeneration of soils, so that less and less free magnesium is available in the soil. As a result, the plants also contain a lower proportion of magnesium.
How is a magnesium deficiency detected?
Magnesium deficiency, known as hypomagnesemia in technical language, is not so easy to detect. Many symptoms are non-specific, which means they can also indicate another nutrient deficiency. A blood test provides information about the actual magnesium level in the blood. The value is determined in the blood serum, for which a blood sample has to be taken from the doctor. The normal value of the magnesium concentration in the blood is between 0.8 and 1.1 mmol/l. If the value is less than 0.7 mmol/l, hypomagnesemia (magnesium deficiency) is present; if the value is greater than 1.6 mmol/l, hypermagnesemia (magnesium excess) is present.
It should be noted that only a definite deficiency can be detected in the blood. This is because our body has a protective reaction: it always tries to keep the magnesium level in the blood constant, even in deficiency situations. Since most of the magnesium in our body is present intracellularly in the bones and muscles, but only about one percent in the blood, missing magnesium is released from the stores. Only when no more magnesium can be released from these stores does the magnesium level in the blood also drop. Conversely, this means that even if the laboratory value is within the normal range, the body may already have a magnesium deficiency.
To back up a blood test, a urine sample is examined. For this purpose, the 24-hour urine is evaluated, i.e. starting with the morning urine, all urine is collected over 24 hours, ending with the morning urine of the next day. Ideally, the value is three to five mmol per 24 hours; values below 3 mmol indicate a confirmed magnesium deficiency. A holistic approach is important: in addition to blood and urine values, attention is paid to deficiency symptoms and diet and lifestyle are included. Existing diseases are also taken into account.
How is magnesium deficiency treated?
In most cases, a magnesium deficiency can be treated by eating foods rich in magnesium. For example, seeds and nuts, whole grains and green vegetables are particularly rich in magnesium. If you do a little research on the magnesium content of different foods, you are sure to find magnesium-rich products that you like. You should also look for magnesium-rich water when choosing your mineral water: the bottle label will tell you what minerals it contains.
If symptoms persist despite a diet rich in magnesium, magnesium supplements can provide additional magnesium. There are many different magnesium supplements available, but you should consult your doctor or pharmacist to choose the one that is best for you. The use of the preparation should last at least two to three months, as only then are the body's magnesium stores replenished.
Conclusion
Cramps, muscle pain, fatigue and cardiac arrhythmias are just some of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency. Magnesium deficiency can be caused by a diet low in magnesium, increased excretion through the skin or due to illness. To diagnose a magnesium deficiency, the patient's symptoms, diet and lifestyle are considered in addition to blood values. A magnesium deficiency can often be treated by a magnesium-rich diet; alternatively, magnesium supplements can help.
