Some of the highest levels of magnesium in the body are found in the central nervous system, with studies dating back to the 1920s showing how crucial magnesium is for a balanced brain… That’s particularly true if the patient has symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, insomnia and constipation, all of which indicate a magnesium deficiency. An effective therapeutic strategy: Assume a deficit is present, and prescribe the mineral along with other appropriate medical and natural treatments. That means a “normal” magnesium blood level may exist despite a serious magnesium deficit. Only 1% is in the blood, so plasma levels are not a reliable indicator. But detecting that deficiency in laboratory testing is difficult, because most magnesium in the body is stored in the skeletal and other tissues. Magnesium deficiency has been cited as contributing to atherosclerosis, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. (And many researchers consider the RDA itself inadequate.) And that magnesium deficit causes deficits in health. Which means that only one-third of adult Americans get the daily RDA for magnesium-320 mg for women, and 420 mg for men. The result: In 1900, the average intake of magnesium was 475 to 500 mg daily. So does the intake of alcohol, caffeine and soft drinks. Many medications-such as medications for ADHD-deplete magnesium. Stress robs the body of magnesium-but the body must have magnesium to respond effectively to stress. In fact, studies show inverse relationships between serum cortisol and magnesium-the higher the magnesium, the lower the cortisol. Physical and emotional stress-a constant reality in our 24/7 society-drain the body of magnesium. For example, refined grains-without magnesium-rich germ and bran-have only 16% of the magnesium of whole grains. Magnesium is stripped from foods during food processing. However, recent studies have shown, surprisingly, that Mg contents in historical cereal seeds have markedly declined over time, and two thirds of people surveyed in developed countries received less than their minimum daily Mg requirement.” įood processing. A recent paper in Crop Journal put it this way: Magnesium’s “importance as a macronutrient ion has been overlooked in recent decades by botanists and agriculturists, who did not regard Mg deficiency in plants as a severe health problem. As a result, many core food crops-such as whole grains-are low in magnesium. Intensive agricultural practices rob the soil of magnesium and don’t replace it.
The population is deficient in magnesium-found abundantly in whole grains, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, and leafy greens, as well as cocoa and molasses-for several reasons. Why is magnesium deficiency so common, and why is restoring the mineral so essential to mental and emotional well-being and behavioral balance? The rest of this article addresses those two questions, and presents aspects of my therapeutic approach. Fortunately, supplementation with magnesium is the most impactful integrative treatment I use, particularly in depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Unfortunately, a deficiency of this crucial mineral is the most common nutritional deficiency I see in my practice as an integrative psychiatrist. Magnesium is a cofactor in more than 325 enzymatic reactions-in DNA and neurotransmitters in the bones, heart and brain in every cell of the body. Chief Medical Officer at Walden Behavioral Care in Waltham, MDĪssistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine and Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine