Magnesium Deficiency

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body and the second most common intracellular cation (positively charged ion) after potassium
Magnesium is required for the healthy function of most cells, especially your heart, kidneys, and muscles. A lack of magnesium will impede your cellular metabolic function and deteriorate mitochondrial function
Magnesium resides at the center of the chlorophyll molecule, so if you rarely eat leafy greens, you’re likely not getting all the magnesium you need unless you’re supplementing
Some researchers insist the magnesium RDA is inadequate, warning that many suffer from subclinical magnesium deficiency that can compromise their cardiovascular health
Evaluate your signs and symptoms of magnesium insufficiency and make sure you eat magnesium-rich foods and/or take a magnesium supplement, balanced with vitamins D3, K2, and calcium. Low potassium and calcium are also common laboratory signs indicating a magnesium deficiency

How Magnesium Benefits Your Body
Magnesium is involved in more than 600 different biochemical reactions in your body, which play important roles in:

Creation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of your body

Metabolism of calcium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, iron, sodium, hydrochloric acid, acetylcholine and nitric oxide, as well as 300 enzymes, and the activation of thiamine.

Magnesium is also required for DNA, RNA and protein synthesis and integrity

Mitochondrial function and health. Magnesium is required both for increasing the number of mitochondria in your cells and for increasing mitochondrial efficiency

Regulation of blood sugar and insulin sensitivity, which is important for the prevention of Type 2 diabetes

(In one study,18 prediabetics with the highest magnesium intake reduced their risk for blood sugar and metabolic problems by 71 percent)

Relaxation of blood vessels and normalizing blood pressure

Detoxification, including the synthesis of glutathione and likely lowering the damage from EMF by blocking voltage-gated calcium channels

Muscle and nerve function, including the action of your heart muscle

Antioxidant defense via a number of different mechanisms, including anti-inflammatory activity and support of the endothelial and mitochondrial function

Maintenance of ionic gradients — keeping intracellular sodium and calcium low and potassium high — and maintaining cellular and tissue integrity

Mental and physical relaxation; stress antidote

Signs and Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency
Common signs and symptoms of magnesium insufficiency This will also help you gauge how much magnesium you need to resolve your deficiency symptoms.

Seizures; muscle spasms, especially “Charley horses” or spasms in your calf muscle that happen when you stretch your leg and/or eye twitches

The Trousseau sign.25 To check for this sign, a blood pressure cuff is inflated around your arm. The pressure should be greater than your systolic blood pressure and maintained for three minutes.

By occluding the brachial artery in your arm, spasms in your hand and forearm muscles are induced.

If you are magnesium-deficient, the lack of blood flow will cause your wrist and metacarpophalangeal joint to flex and your fingers to adduct. For a picture of this hand/wrist position, see Wikipedia26

Numbness or tingling in your extremities

Low potassium and calcium levels

Insulin resistance

Increased number of headaches and/or migraines

High blood pressure, heart arrhythmias and/or coronary spasms

Low energy, fatigue and/or loss of appetite