Magnesium is a mineral that helps develop proper bone health and structure. It’s essential to ensure you get enough of this mineral in your diet or through dietary supplements. Keeping your magnesium levels correct will help prevent many health issues.
What Is Magnesium?
Magnesium can increase bone mineral density and allow for proper bone growth and maintenance throughout your life. It’s also helpful in ensuring proper function for your nerves, muscles, and other body parts. Magnesium can also help neutralize stomach acid and keep your digestive tract running smoothly.
Sometimes, magnesium intake is recommended for treating specific health concerns like constipation, heartburn, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, and certain types of irregular heartbeat. As you can see, magnesium is an important dietary supplement.
Best Sources of Magnesium
Your body needs magnesium every day to work as well as it should. The good news is that magnesium is easy to find in a healthy diet. If you’re eating a well-balanced diet, you’re likely getting all the magnesium you need. Foods high in magnesium are often also foods considered healthy fats. Here’s a rundown of the best magnesium sources.
Plant-Based Sources
Many magnesium-rich foods are plant-based. Whole grains, seeds, and legumes are some of the best food sources. Some of the most impressive options include:
- Pumpkin seeds
- Dark leafy greens
- Chia seeds
- Black beans
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Peanut butter
Animal Sources
Some foods sourced from animals are also great sources of magnesium. It’s important to note that animal products don’t typically contain as much magnesium as plant-based options, but here are some options with higher amounts:
- Low-fat Greek yogurt
- Fatty fish like salmon
- Dark chocolate
- Chicken breast
- 90 percent lean ground beef
Magnesium Supplements
If you have trouble getting your recommended dietary allowance of magnesium, health professionals may suggest a magnesium supplement. These nutritional supplements are a great way to get the magnesium you aren’t getting through diet alone. Combining magnesium supplementation with a healthy lifestyle is essential for the best results and overall health.
You can choose a magnesium supplement that comes in pill form or a skin patch for more direct supplementation. A patch like Maximize HQ Magnesium Skin Patch helps bring your magnesium levels to where they should be by delivering 75 mg of magnesium directly into your bloodstream for maximum absorption.
Benefits of Magnesium
There are many health benefits to getting enough magnesium in your body. It helps your overall health, muscle function, nervous system, and more. Here are some of the best benefits of getting enough magnesium:
- Healthy bones
- Blood sugar control
- Lower blood pressure and blood pressure regulation
- Improved mental health
- Reduced risk of migraines
- Better sleep
- Bowel regularity
Signs of Magnesium Deficiency
If you aren’t getting enough magnesium absorption, your body will give you signs. Some of the most common symptoms of not getting enough of the dietary supplement include:
- Fatigue
- Muscle weakness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Muscle contractions or cramps
- Irregular heartbeat
- Loss of appetite
- Numbness or tingling
It’s uncommon for people to struggle with a severe magnesium deficiency, but some health conditions may reduce magnesium absorption. Specifically, Crohn’s disease and celiac disease make it harder for your body to absorb magnesium. Those with type 2 diabetes may lose more magnesium than others through urine. Also, older adults and adults with an alcohol dependency are more likely to be deficient in magnesium.
If you suspect you have a magnesium deficiency or you have any of the risk factors listed above, ask your doctor to check your levels regularly. Knowing how much magnesium you absorb will help you and your health team know if you should start a magnesium supplement.
Proper Dietary Magnesium Intake
While you want to make sure you’re getting enough magnesium, you also don’t want to overdose on the supplement. Getting too much magnesium without an underlying health condition is rare, but those taking a magnesium supplement regularly need to monitor their daily dose.
The recommended dietary allowance of magnesium is 400 to 420 milligrams per day for men and 310 to 320 milligrams per day for women. If you take more than the recommended amount, it can lead to health consequences, including magnesium toxicity.
Magnesium toxicity is when the magnesium concentration in your blood is between 1.74 and 2.61 millimoles per liter. If your levels are this high, you may notice the following symptoms:
- Muscle weakness
- Low blood pressure
- Face flushing
- Fluid retention
- Lethargy
- Depression
- Confusion
Magnesium buildup can occur in those taking supplements. If you notice these symptoms, contact your doctor and stop taking magnesium supplements.
Takeaway
Many foods are excellent sources of magnesium. Some of the best options include leafy green vegetables and other plant-based foods high in fiber and healthy fats. If you struggle to get your recommended daily magnesium, you may want to consider the best magnesium supplement to help out. Maximize Magnesium Direct Skin Patch can give you a direct supplementation of magnesium and get your daily levels where they should be so you can reap the many benefits of the mineral.
Sources
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-998/magnesium
https://www.uclahealth.org/news/are-you-getting-enough-magnesium
https://www.insider.com/guides/health/diet-nutrition/too-much-magnesium
