Magnesium

Compounds of magnesium have long been known. Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element in the earth's crust. It does not occur uncombined, but is found in large deposits in the form of magnesite, dolomite, and other minerals. The hydroxide (milk of magnesia), chloride, sulfate (Epsom salts), and citrate are used in medicine.

The adult daily nutritional requirement, which is affected by various factors include weight and size, is about 300 mg/day. Magnesium has roles in energy metabolism, muscle contraction, and nerve impulse transmission, and bone mineralization. It is a required cofactor for an estimated 300 enzymes.

You may have noticed that calcium and magnesium are often in combination in supplements, usually in a 2:1 ratio. It is interesting that the mineral dolomite is a combination of these two elements in that same 2:1 ratio, and that is the ratio that the body seems to like.

By the way, it is best if your supplements come in the chelated for.

Good sources of magnesium in foods are:

drinking hard water (not that hard water is necessarily a great thing)
nuts, seeds
dark green vegetables
apples

Alcohol use causes the need for higher amounts of magnesium, as does use of the pill or estrogen by women.

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Note that the contents here are not presented from a medical practitioner, and that any and all health care planning should be made under the guidance of your own medical and health practitioners. The content within only presents an overview of the topics and does not replace medical advice from a professional physician.

Where I have listed the nutritional contents of foods, that information is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2005. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 18. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page.

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