Magnesium is often taken for a range of benefits, such as improved sleep and enhanced workout recovery – and rightly so. This crucial mineral is involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in your body, supporting muscle and nerve function, maintaining heart rhythm, strengthening bones, and more. Magnesium is naturally present in foods like pumpkin seeds, black beans, bananas, spinach, and whole wheat bread. Women generally require about 310 to 320 milligrams daily, while men need approximately 400 to 420 milligrams.
Though a nutritious diet can help meet your magnesium needs, the National Institutes of Health reports that about half of Americans don’t get enough. A multivitamin or magnesium supplement might be beneficial to ensure adequate intake.
However, excessive magnesium supplementation should be avoided. While it might slightly lower blood pressure, too much magnesium can lead to dangerously low blood pressure. Magnesium toxicity could also result in an irregular heartbeat or even be fatal.
How magnesium supplements affect the heart
Magnesium is a vital electrolyte that regulates your body’s electrical activity, including the rhythm of your heartbeat. Both a deficiency and an excess of magnesium can disrupt this rhythm, potentially causing arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). In some situations, the heart’s lower chambers may start to flutter instead of pumping efficiently. This can prevent the heart from pushing blood effectively, leading to a rapid drop in blood pressure. The individual may suddenly collapse, stop breathing, and without immediate treatment, the heart could cease functioning.
It’s virtually impossible to consume too much magnesium from food alone, as the kidneys filter out the surplus. Supplements, however, are more concentrated, prompting the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board to set an upper limit of 350 milligrams per day for magnesium from supplements. While a multivitamin might contain around 100 milligrams, magnesium-specific supplements can add 250 milligrams or more. Antacids and laxatives can also have up to 500 milligrams of magnesium per dose.
In most cases, excessive magnesium intake results in side effects like nausea or diarrhea. Older adults may be more susceptible to magnesium accumulation, especially if they frequently use antacids or laxatives. A 2008 study in Rejuvenation Research indicated that older adults with congestive heart failure and elevated magnesium levels had a reduced life expectancy by about five months compared to those with normal levels. They also exhibited more frailty, poorer kidney function, and a heightened risk of death from heart failure.
Who should watch their magnesium intake
Individuals with kidney issues may be at risk for elevated magnesium levels in their blood due to their bodies’ inability to eliminate excess magnesium effectively. Magnesium can also interact with various medications. For instance, those taking bisphosphonates or antibiotics might need to wait two hours before consuming a magnesium supplement, as it can reduce the drug’s absorption in the body. Potassium-sparing diuretics may also hinder the body’s ability to expel excess magnesium.
Although nearly half of Americans don’t consume enough magnesium from their diets, adolescents and older men are particularly at risk. Older adults may struggle to maintain adequate magnesium levels due to increased loss through urine. Individuals with alcohol use disorder may also experience low magnesium levels due to kidney issues, low phosphate or vitamin D levels, or frequent diarrhea. Those with type 2 diabetes or gastrointestinal disorders might be at risk for magnesium deficiency as well.
For generally healthy individuals, the body can often manage occasional low magnesium intake by decreasing the amount expelled through urine. However, persistently low magnesium levels can result in symptoms such as numbness, muscle cramps, or personality changes.
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