The Surprising Health Problems from Not Enough Magnesium
Learn the surprising ways that magnesium supports our health, how much we actually need, and the best food sources.
Introduction
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body, and is essential for every cell. Despite being widespread in nature, it never occurs in its free (unbound) form—only in combination with other elements, particularly oxygen, calcium, or carbon. The word magnesium itself is named after a district in Greece called Magnesia (which in turn is named after an ancient Greek tribe called the Magnetes), due to the area’s abundance of magnesia alba, AKA magnesium oxide.
Magnesium was first recognized as an element in 1755, and then officially isolated in 1808 by the English chemist Sir Humphry Davy (who was also the first to isolate sodium, calcium, potassium, strontium, and barium!). However, magnesium’s healing properties were discovered as early as 1618, when a farmer from Epsom, England noticed that the town’s bitter-tasting spring water appeared to heal scratches and rashes—and, when boiled down, yielded a salty mineral powder. This quickly led to the rise of “Epsom salt,” which we now know is made of magnesium sulfate (and which put Epsom on the map as a spa town, attracting visitors from near and far to its medicinal waters!).
Magnesium serves as a cofactor for hundreds of different enzymes, and is involved in numerous pathways in the body—including energy production, ion transport, cell signaling, protein synthesis, and nucleic acid synthesis. It also serves important structural functions in bone tissue and cells.
Importantly, this nutrient functions as an electrolyte—a class of minerals that dissociate into charged particles (called ions) when dissolved in solution, making them capable of conducting electricity. On the whole, electrolytes help regulate fluid balance within the body, regulate nerve and muscle function (including the heart!), maintain a normal blood pH, and transmit nerve signals!
Magnesium-rich foods include green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds (especially pumpkin seeds, almonds, and cashews), fish, legumes, whole grains, cocoa, avocados, and spices. Low-fat dairy products (like milk and yogurt) are also good sources of magnesium.
This article explains the biological roles of magnesium, the interactions between dietary magnesium and our risk of over 9 health conditions, symptoms and signs that we’re getting too little magnesium, how much magnesium we need by demographic (and how much is too much), and shares the top 25 best common food sources of magnesium. Paid subscribers also can download a printer-friendly PDF version of this information below!
The Biological Roles of Magnesium
