What does a magnesium deficiency look like?

Without enough magnesium, your body will experience enormous disruptions in life's most fundamental processes. Not enough cellular energy. Not enough protein synthesized. All sorts of metabolic reactions interrupted. It's hard to say how these disruptions will manifest themselves. Migraines, high blood pressure, heart palpitations, anxiety, infertility, or more muscle cramps.

You may experience one, two, or several symptoms at the same time. You might show no signs for a long time or experience a group of abnormal biochemical conditions that would increase the risk of other secondary problems.

Can I be tested for magnesium deficiency?

Testing your magnesium level is a bit complicated. Magnesium is stored mainly in bones and soft tissues. The amount circulating in our bloodstream is less than 1%, and these levels are tightly regulated by the body.

Magnesium levels in blood or urine may not correspond to the body's overall magnesium level. There are a few other tests that are more accurate (e.g., red blood cell magnesium), but we recommend, as a first line of defense, familiarizing yourself with the symptoms and risk factors of magnesium deficiency. Knowing the symptoms helps to better understand magnesium deficiencies.

Since magnesium circulates between blood, bones, and inside cells, testing magnesium only in the blood can be inaccurate.

If you decide to request a red blood cell magnesium test, ask for a baseline test before taking magnesium, and another three or four months after taking supplements. Regular and consistent supplementation will help restore reserves in your bones and tissues. Repeating this test every three or four months will serve as a guide to determine how much magnesium to take as supplements.

When supplementing, you will aim for a test result in the upper optimal range, say around 2.4 to 2.52 mmol/L.

One last thing, if you undergo a hemagglutination screening test, the reference range you may see is between 1.65 and 2.52 mmol/L. This is a very wide interval, and you can still experience deficiency symptoms at the lower end of this range.

What are the signs of deficiency?

A single sign or symptom can easily be confused with another health problem, but when reported together, they can reinforce the idea that you may not have enough magnesium. Understanding the mechanisms of magnesium in the body can help you understand why you might also experience symptoms.

Am I at higher risk of magnesium deficiency?

Certain conditions can disrupt the body's magnesium content. Gastrointestinal diseases such as IBS and colitis can disrupt your intestines' ability to absorb dietary magnesium.

Hyperthyroidism, intense athletic activity, or chronic stress can increase magnesium demand because the body metabolizes faster or creates more hormones like cortisol. Conditions like type II diabetes can increase the amount of magnesium excreted by the kidneys.

What if I don't feel any symptoms?

Sometimes, silent deficiencies, micronutrient deficiencies, may not present the usual picture of signs and symptoms. They can be difficult to grasp, but it is essential to understand magnesium deficiencies.

Why does this happen?

Bruce Ames is a professor emeritus of molecular biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior scientist at the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute. In his research on degenerative diseases, he noted that deficiencies in various micronutrients could lead to DNA damage and cellular aging. He theorized that this was the consequence of something called triage allocation.

The triage allocation theory posits that during episodes of common micronutrient scarcity, rarer micronutrients are allocated to urgent short-term survival, at the expense of long-term health. For example, in a vitamin K shortage, the body will devote the few resources it has to power critical liver metabolism, at the expense of vitamins for bone-forming function. An iron shortage will draw from liver reserves before drawing from heart iron reserves.

The triage allocation theory can help explain why a moderate shortage of minerals and vitamins can increase the risk of chronic diseases without presenting overt symptoms of a deficiency. It can also explain why a person may not consume enough magnesium even if they do not show classic signs of deficiency, such as cramps, twitching, seizures, or irregular heartbeats.

Why choose liquid magnesium?

CanPrev's ultra-gentle Bis-Glycinate 300 Magnesium Liquid contains up to 20% more elemental magnesium than other magnesium supplements and is very easy to digest. It offers a powerful therapeutic dose of 300 mg of elemental magnesium per tablespoon!

It helps restore optimal magnesium levels and power all the important functions it is called upon to perform. It is designed for those seeking maximum gentleness, absorption, and potency from magnesium. It is recommended for people taking multiple medications, suffering from digestive disorders such as Crohn's disease, colitis, or dysphagia.

Before starting any new natural health product regimen, we recommend always consulting your healthcare professional.

Learn more to better understand magnesium deficiencies by visiting magnesium.ca.