Magnesium - An Important Mineral
By: Frank Landrens

It is very important to include Magnesium in our diet. Deficiencies of magnesium can be dangerous. However, Magnesium is a mineral that not many of us give any thought to. It is important to know all of the vitamins and minerals we need to get. We should all be eating a healthy and balanced diet.

Magnesium is used by all the cells in your body. It is used to keep bones strong, helps maintain nerve and muscle functioning, and keeps the heart rhythmic and steady. You can see why a deficiency of this mineral can be dangerous. Magnesium is found in green leafy vegetables, nuts, seed, and some whole grains.

Your body only requires a small amount of magnesium, but there is also only a minute amount of magnesium found in most of the foods listed above. This is why it is so critical to eat a balanced diet full of healthy and nutritious foods.

Magnesium deficiency is fairly uncommon but symptoms include disorientation, confusion, depression, abnormal heart beat, loss of appetite, cramps, numbness, and seizures. Magnesium is often depleted though the urine and over-consumption of alcohol has been linked to magnesium deficiencies.

You can ask your doctor or nutritionist as to what the recommended daily amount of magnesium is. Many books and websites can help you determine how much magnesium you should be consuming each day. This number varies for men, women, different age groups, pregnant women, and lactating women. A great way to prevent any deficiencies is by knowing how much magnesium you should be taking, and how much is in certain foods.

You can take magnesium supplements or multi vitamins in case you do not think you are getting enough magnesium in your diet. You probably are not getting enough of other vitamins and minerals as well in case you are not getting enough magnesium. Fresh and healthy foods is the best source for all vitamins and minerals, the next best thing is a multi vitamin.

If you find yourself relying on multi vitamins for all your dietary needs you should consider some drastic changes in your eating habits. There are a number of conditions that could require you to take a magnesium supplement. For example if you have chronic malabsorption you may need to take a supplement to ensure you have enough magnesium in your diet.

Some studies have shown that high blood pressure or hypertension can be lowered by magnesium. Whether or not this is true it cannot hurt to increase the number of vegetables and fruits you eat each day. Metabolic changes that may cause heart attacks or strokes have been linked to Magnesium deficiencies. As you can see, magnesium is a very important mineral to have in your diet.

There is the danger of too much magnesium though. If you are getting magnesium through your diet there is little risk of any overdose. However if you take too many supplements there is the danger of magnesium toxicity. The symptoms are very similar to those of magnesium deficiencies so be wary of taking too many supplements, laxatives, and antacids.

Make sure you are getting the proper amounts of fruits and vegetables each day, as magnesium is a very important mineral. You probably never need to worry about a magnesium deficiency if you eat a balanced diet.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleJoe.com

Frank Landrens is the owner and operator of BHP Magnesium, the web's premier resource for information about magnesium. For questions or comments about this article visit: www.bhpmagnesium.com/articles
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