Is magnesium a forgotten nutrient?

Magnesium is critical for more than 600 different processes in the body involving the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological systems and yet we hear much less about it than iron and calcium, says Lisa Jamieson, pharmacist consultant in nutrition.

Magnesium has been described as ‘the forgotten nutrient’.  “Certainly when I qualified as a pharmacist ….. I would have heard about the need for iron and calcium but magnesium didn’t really feature as part of my training and I’ve spoken to lots of pharmacists for whom that is the same”, says Ms Jamieson. Magnesium is required for more than 600 processes in the body and so magnesium deficiency can have wide-ranging effects. These can include muscle spasms, back pain, migraine headaches, sleep disturbances,  arrhythmias, palpitations, gastrointestinal disturbances and worsening of asthma, she adds.

One problem is that magnesium status cannot easily be measured. Less than 1% of total body magnesium is in the blood and 99% is in bone and other tissues. Furthermore, the symptoms of magnesium deficiency tend to be non-specific and are often described as ‘medically unexplained’.  “Magnesium is something that should in some scenarios be given as a supplement. I think we need to increasingly look to symptoms as markers of a possible deficiency”, says Ms Jamieson. Another important factor is food quality – “the typical Western diet is quite deficient in magnesium”, she says.

Magnesium supplements

When looking at magnesium supplements it is important to be aware that many over-the-counter products are based on magnesium oxide which is less bio-available than magnesium that is attached to an amino-acid. Such products may be called ‘chelated magnesium’. “You may not necessarily get the dose that’s on packet – depending on which product you take”, says Ms Jamieson.  Many will remember being taught that magnesium salts cause diarrhoea. “Magnesium sulphate, otherwise known as Epsom salt, is actually used as a laxative for that purpose because magnesium sulphate is an osmotic laxative”, she says.

The prescribable forms of magnesium tend to be those that are attached to amino-acids and they are less likely to cause gastrointestinal disturbances. Moreover, the dose can be adjusted on an individual basis, Ms Jamieson explains.

One approach to the management of non-specific symptoms might be to try a magnesium supplement although people with renal dysfunction would need to be cautious. “A lot of people have given me anecdotal feedback that they feel quite different after taking a magnesium supplements and various symptoms that were previously considered to be unexplained have reduced or diminished – and I have personal experience of the same effect as well”, says Ms Jamieson

About Lisa Jamieson

Lisa Jamieson BPharm (Hons), MSc (Clin Pharm), MSc (Nutr Med), MRPharmS

Lisa Jamieson currently works as a pharmacist consultant from her own company, Enucleo Ltd. She has a portfolio career with two main roles – first, as a senior consultant in a market access consultancy, working at the interface between the pharmaceutical industry and the NHS and second, as a pharmacist consultant in nutritional medicine. This latter role  involves educating pharmacists and other healthcare professionals either in writing or as a speaker at conferences.

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