Hypomagnesemia, which is defined as serum magnesium, the amount present in your blood at the time of testing, being less than 1.8 mg/dL, is rare. It’s difficult to catch a deficiency, and all too easy to be misdiagnosed as symptoms don’t become obvious until your magnesium levels are extremely low. And while a diet rich in healthy foods can generally meet your daily recommended intake, that’s not always enough to prevent a problem.
People suffering from certain health problems have an increased risk of magnesium deficiency. Digestive disorders, such as celiac disease, can increase gastrointestinal loss of the crucial mineral and limit magnesium absorption. Type 2 diabetes (Barbagallo, 2015), refeeding syndrome, and genetic kidney problems also increase your risk of developing hypomagnesemia (although some of these are very rare).
Magnesium deficiency can be hard to diagnose. We already mentioned that some of the signs don’t appear until your low magnesium levels are critical. But another hurdle patients face is getting to the root cause with their healthcare practitioners. Symptoms of magnesium deficiency tend to be nonspecific, so medical professionals may suspect other conditions or deficiencies. But if you know the signs and symptoms, you can better identify when you should seek out medical help and advocate for yourself in-office.
This is generally the first sign of hypomagnesemia, according to Dr. Hunnes. She underscores that this is one of the nonspecific symptoms that can be hard to pin down, and it can come together with the next point on our list.
Another of the nonspecific magnesium deficiency symptoms. “You might just think you ate something bad,” Dr. Hunnes notes of this sign of low magnesium. Note what you’re feeling so you can accurately report to your healthcare professional, but keep an eye out for other symptoms that can be paired together to shed light on what’s going on.
Everyone feels fatigued from time to time. But if you’re feeling persistent fatigue that doesn’t get better with adequate rest and quality sleep, it’s time to take notes and see a professional. It’s worth noting, though, that fatigue isn’t enough to diagnose you since it’s such a nonspecific symptom of low magnesium levels.
You’ll likely pair fatigue with weakness. Since this mineral plays a crucial role in proper muscle functioning, an inadequate magnesium intake is likely to cause myasthenia, the fancy name for muscle weakness. This happens because magnesium deficiency is associated with a drop in potassium levels in muscle cells, also called hypokalemia. Scientists believe it’s this loss of potassium that causes muscle weakness.
With the rise of workout culture, more people are aware that muscle cramps are a sign of magnesium deficiency. Magnesium plays a crucial role in helping muscles relax and regulating muscle contractions. But a deficiency can cause physical effects far beyond cramping, like tremors and even seizures.
Unfortunately, for older adults experiencing cramping, getting rid of the muscular discomfort isn’t as easy as supplementing with magnesium even though studies show the mineral can help relieve cramps and twitches in other groups of people that are deficient. Magnesium deficiency can also cause a secondary deficiency, hypocalcemia, or lack of calcium, which also causes muscle spasm and cramps.
Many studies that shape what we know about blood pressure and low levels of magnesium are done in rats, not people. These studies indicate that magnesium deficiency contributes to high blood pressure, which may up the odds of developing heart disease. Observational studies of humans have found that lack of magnesium through dietary intake ups the odds of higher blood pressure. Luckily, the connection doesn’t just go one way. A meta-analysis of studies on magnesium found that supplements of this important mineral can successfully lower blood pressure.
Arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat, is serious. It can cause chest pain, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, or even fainting. And these abnormal heart rhythms can be caused by low levels of magnesium. It’s believed this is another symptom that has to do with magnesium deficiency causing secondary deficiencies, in this case, potassium.
The same mechanism that causes muscle cramps and spasms is also behind this very serious sign of magnesium deficiency. Its believed that a lack of magnesium irritates the nervous system through the way it affects calcium in cells.
Personality changes like apathy, marked by numbness and lack of emotion, can occur and with a low enough magnesium status, even delirium, and coma. And a meta-analysis found an association between low magnesium levels and an increased risk of depression.
You likely know that vitamins are involved in your risk factor for developing osteoporosis—specifically vitamins D and K—along with old age. But magnesium-deficient people are also at a higher risk of developing the condition that weakens bones and puts people at a higher risk of fractures. But getting enough magnesium can help in more ways than one. Adequate magnesium intake is associated with higher bone mineral density and can prevent hypocalcemia.
Of course, these are just some symptoms that may occur with a magnesium deficiency. Each person may actually experience all, some, or none of these symptoms, even in the presence of a deficiency.
This is where those nonspecific symptoms come in. Since it can be hard to pin down what’s causing general symptoms like fatigue and loss of appetite, your healthcare practitioner will use a variety of methods to diagnose you. They’ll likely take into account not just your symptoms but also your medical history, a physical exam, and a blood test.
Although checking your blood magnesium level doesn’t give a medical professional the whole picture—much of your magnesium is stored in your bones and soft tissues—it can help form a picture of magnesium deficiency. Hypomagnesemia also causes other deficiencies, like hypokalemia (low potassium) and hypocalcemia (low calcium), that they’ll likely test for as well.
Luckily, getting our levels of magnesium back on track isn’t all that difficult. “Since we don’t need all that much magnesium, a deficiency can likely be fixed within a few days to a couple of weeks,” Dr. Hunnes explains. But she does cite some exceptions, adding that it will likely take longer if you have diarrhea or some other malabsorption issues in your gut.
But there are some side effects to magnesium supplements, the most common of which is loose stools or diarrhea. This side effect can be especially pronounced if you take magnesium citrate. Dr. Hunnes suggests planning meals to make sure you’re incorporating dietary magnesium if you find you’re sensitive to taking oral magnesium. People with certain health conditions, such as kidney diseases, or those taking medications like bisphosphonates, antibiotics, diuretics, and proton pump inhibitors, need to talk to their healthcare practitioners before taking dietary supplements. Many magnesium-rich foods—such as leafy greens, whole grains, avocado, and cashews—are common and offer other health benefits along with this important mineral.
If a medical professional does put you on a magnesium protocol, follow it. Hypermagnesemia, or having too much magnesium, can also be dangerous
https://www.getroman.com/health-guide/magnesium-deficiency-signs/
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