Mg++

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

This report on Mg++ was of interest to me:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/18/health/nutrition/18brod.html

A Dietary Mineral You Need (and Probably Didn't Know It)

By JANE E. BRODY

Published: May 18, 2004

A health-conscious woman asked me the other day whether she should be

taking magnesium with her calcium. I thought not, but that was before

I had examined the many studies defining the role of this too-often-

ignored mineral nutrient.

Magnesium is important to nearly every function and tissue in the

body, from the heart to the bones and nearly everything in between.

It plays a critical role in a vast array of acute and chronic

diseases. Some 350 enzyme functions depend on it, including the

enzyme that generates energy for every cell in the body.

But studies strongly suggest that when it comes to magnesium, most of

us may be running on less than a full tank.

Magnesium is readily available in foods that form the basis of a

healthful diet - whole grains, fruits, dark-green leafy vegetables

and nuts. But the highly processed foods that most Americans live on

are sorely lacking in the mineral. The latest national studies found

that as many as three-fourths of Americans do not consume enough to

avoid the adverse effects associated with chronic magnesium

deficiency.

Furthermore, a critical balance has to be achieved between calcium

and magnesium to assure proper use of both minerals. The millions of

Americans taking calcium supplements could be at risk of distorting

this balance, even if their calcium supplement contains magnesium.

Few patients have their magnesium level checked, and even if they do,

a simple blood test fails to measure the amount of biologically

active magnesium, according to studies by Dr. Burton M. Altura and

Dr. Bella T. Altura, who study the physiology and pharmacology of

magnesium at the State University of New York in Brooklyn.

Dr. Altura developed a test for the active form, ionized serum

magnesium, which helped her and other researchers uncover latent

magnesium deficiencies that have been linked to more than a dozen

diseases, even though total magnesium levels in the blood are normal.

How Magnesium Promotes Health

Still, few doctors are aware of the many health problems that can

cause a magnesium deficiency, as well as the role of magnesium in

diseases, including heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, asthma,

obesity, infertility, migraine, muscle pains, premenstrual syndrome

and traumatic stress.

Experts who study this nutrient believe insufficient magnesium may be

a primary factor in the relationship between heart disease and

cardiac risk factors like high blood pressure, abdominal obesity,

diabetes and stress. Magnesium deficiency may even have played a role

in the increase in heart attacks and strokes reported among

menopausal participants in the Women's Health Initiative studies,

said Dr. Mildred S. Seelig of Decatur, Ga. Dr. Seelig explained that

the women in the study were undergoing hormone replacement therapy,

and that magnesium counters the possible blood clots caused by

estrogen in such therapy.

Dr. Seelig is 83 and has spent 35 years studying the role of

magnesium in health. She is retired but still an adjunct professor at

the University of North Carolina, and is an author of " The Magnesium

Factor " (Avery Penguin Putnam, 2003), which she wrote with Dr.

noff, a nutritionist in Hawaii who has spent 17 years studying

magnesium.

Dr. Seelig said she believed that the relative lack of attention paid

to the mineral reflects that it is " cheap as dirt, not well taught in

medical schools, and few companies can make enough money on it to

prompt them to fund research. "

Causes of Deficiency

A long list of conditions can result in a magnesium deficiency. In

addition to poor diet, the intake or absorption of magnesium can be

affected by dieting for weight loss; consumption of " soft " water,

which lacks minerals; intestinal diseases; alcoholism; and bypass

surgery for obesity.

Large amounts of magnesium can be lost as a result of prolonged

exercise, lactation, excessive sweating and chronic diarrhea; as a

result of the use of drugs like diuretics, digitalis and the cancer

drugs cisplatin and cyclosporine; and because of disorders like

kidney disease, an overactive thyroid or parathyroid, low blood

levels of potassium and high urine levels of calcium.

Chronic magnesium deficiencies can cause muscle twitching, cramps and

weakness; seizures, dizziness, irritability, restlessness, delirium,

personality change, apathy and depression; and abnormal heart

rhythms, spasms of the coronary arteries, anemia, blood clots,

abnormal blood pressure and even sudden death.

Magnesium therapy has proved beneficial in treating bronchial asthma

and migraine headaches. Dr. Altura said intravenous treatment with

the mineral was more effective at preventing migraines than costly

prescription drugs. Italian studies showed that magnesium

can " ameliorate tremendously " the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome,

he said.

Stroke patients and victims of cardiac arrest who were resuscitated

have recovered better if given magnesium immediately after the

incident, Dr. Seelig said. And Dr. Altura found that people with

diabetes needed less medication to control their blood sugar and

blood fats when treated for six months with oral magnesium.

The goal should be a ratio of calcium to magnesium of two to one, Dr.

Altura said. So if you consume 800 milligrams of calcium a day, you

should also consume 400 milligrams of magnesium. For women taking

1,200 milligrams of calcium daily, 600 milligrams of magnesium are

needed to maintain a proper physiologic balance.

Start With Diet

Correcting nutrient shortfalls should always start with diet,

especially in this case, when the best sources of the needed nutrient

are foods that should be regularly consumed as part of an overall

health-preserving diet. Among foods relatively rich in magnesium are

whole-grain breads and cereals like 100 percent bran, oats, Cheerios

and Wheaties; legumes like tofu, soybeans and lima beans; vegetables

like spinach, corn and broccoli; fruits like dates, raisins and

bananas; and nuts like almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts and pecans.

Drinking water, too, can be a significant source of dietary

magnesium, assuming that the water supply is " hard, " that is, rich in

minerals. Water supplies in much of the country are hard. But in the

Southeast they are soft.

The differences can be enormous; there are 400 milligrams of

magnesium in a liter of water in the upper Great Lakes region, while

only 6 milligrams in some southeastern areas. Water for drinking

should never be softened, and certainly not distilled. Soft water has

been linked in several locations to an increased risk of heart

disease and cardiac deaths.

For people who cannot fulfill their magnesium needs through diet, an

inexpensive supplement can fill in the gap. Magnesium is known for

its laxative effect. So it is best to start slowly and gradually

increase the dose to about 250 milligrams a day, the experts suggest.

For those bothered by loose stools, Dr. Seelig recommends Maginex by

Geist, a supplement that seems to be free of this side effect.

Another option is to take magnesium separately from calcium, with a

meal that contains protein to enhance absorption.

PMID: 15035687 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[Guest guest]

Milk of magnesia is a cheap source - 400 mg Mag hydroxide per tsp, maybe 112mg Mg per tsp?

An 1800 kcal diet is usually a little short of 100% (500 mg).

Regards.

----- Original Message -----

From: old542000

Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2004 8:46 AM

Subject: [ ] Mg++

Hi All,This report on Mg++ was of interest to me:http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/18/health/nutrition/18brod.htmlA Dietary Mineral You Need (and Probably Didn't Know It)By JANE E. BRODYPublished: May 18, 2004For people who cannot fulfill their magnesium needs through diet, an inexpensive supplement can fill in the gap. Magnesium is known for its laxative effect. So it is best to start slowly and gradually increase the dose to about 250 milligrams a day, the experts suggest. For those bothered by loose stools, Dr. Seelig recommends Maginex by Geist, a supplement that seems to be free of this side effect. Another option is to take magnesium separately from calcium, with a meal that contains protein to enhance absorption. PMID: 15035687 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]