Why Is There a Magnesium Deficiency in Our Diet?

More than seventy-five years ago, medical scientists declared magnesium to be an essential nutrient, indispensable to life. When this mineral is part of your diet, you are guarding against and helping to alleviate health threats such as heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, diabetes, depression, arthritis, and asthma. But while research continues to reaffirm magnesium’s irreplaceable contribution to good health, many Americans remain dangerously deficient.

Modern agricultural practices have depleted the nutrient content of our soils and our foods creating common health issues due to vital mineral deficiencies in our diet.

The following telling words from a 1936 Senate document #264, 74th Congress, 2nd session illustrate what has only worsened over the last 70 plus years.

“Do you know that most of us today are suffering from certain dangerous diet deficiencies which cannot be remedied until depleted soils from which our food comes are brought into proper mineral balance? The alarming fact is that foods (fruits, vegetables and grains) now being raised on millions of acres of land that no longer contain enough certain minerals are starving us – no matter how much of them we eat.

The truth is that our foods vary enormously in value, and some of them aren’t worth eating as food. Our physical well-being is more directly dependent upon the minerals we take into our systems than upon the calories or vitamins or upon the precise proportions of starch, protein or carbohydrates we consume.”

Not only are our soils and our foods deficient in magnesium, the processed foods that we do eat further deplete this mineral from our bodies.
Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency

Because magnesium is so vital to the proper functioning of organs and systems throughout the body, magnesium deficiency can have a variety of effects on these systems and organs. Based on the latest research here is a comprehensive list of the effects of magnesium deficiency.

Cardiovascular

Irregular Heartbeats, Heart Palpitations (Arythmias)

Chest Pain Due to Spasms (Vasopastic Angina)

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

Heart Valve Disease (Mitral Valve Prolapse)

Cadiac Arrest, sudden death

Chest tightness

Digestive

Constipation

Difficulty Swallowing

Urinary

Kidney Stones

Urinary Spasms

Gynecological/Reproductive

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

Menstrual Cramps

Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (Pre-eclampsia) progressing to convulsions (Eclampsia)

Spontaneous abortion, Miscarriage, Low Birth Weight

Metabolism of Nutrients

Diabetes

Carbohydrate Intolerance

Insulin Resistance

Metabolic Syndrome X

Low serum calcium that cannot be corrected with calcium supplements

Low serum potassium that cannot be corrected with potassium supplements

Elevated serum phosphorus

Vitamin D Resistance

Muscle/Bone

Muscle Cramps

Muscle soreness, including backache, neck pain, tension headache, temporomandibular (lower jaw to skull) joint dysfunction

Muscle Tension

Painful Muscle Spasms & Tremors (Muscle tetany)

Muscle Twitches

Osteoporosis

Neurological

Migraine Headaches, other headaches

Hearing Loss, Ringing in Ear, Tinnitus (persistent buzzing or ringing noise in the ears)

Hyperactivity, Restlessness, constant movement

Numbness, Tingling

Insomnia

Mental

Anxiety

Irritability

Panic Attacks

Depression

Fear of Panic Attacks (Agoraphobia)

Respiratory

Asthma

COPD – Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Other

Chest tightness, often expressed as “I can’t seem to take a deep breath” or even as sighing in children

Chronic fatigue

Cravings for Carbohydrates

Cravings for Salt

Sensitivity to bright lights in the absence of eye disease

Sensitivity to loud noise