Magnesium is a vital mineral for our body, and its deficiency can lead to serious health issues. Magnesium loss can cause hungry bone syndrome, celiac disease, chronic diarrhea, poor absorption, and diabetes.
Magnesium deficiency can occur due to loss of magnesium from our bodies or lower dietary intake of this mineral.
In this article, we will go through 5 signs of magnesium deficiency.
The first sign is muscle cramps and twitches. Magnesium deficiency can often result in muscle cramps, tremors, and spasms. In some cases of severe deficiency, people can experience convulsions or seizures.
Although supplements can help relieve cramps and muscle twitches in people with mineral deficiency, they are not that effective for the elderly. You should know that involuntary muscle cramps can happen due to the overuse of caffeine or stress. Motor neuron disease or some side effects of medicines can also cause muscle issues.
Muscle weakness with fatigue is another sign of low levels of magnesium. Since fatigue can occur for several reasons, it is often overlooked and not associated with magnesium deficiency. People are mentally or physically exhausted almost every time after a hard day at work. So, rarely will they think that it’s due to a mineral deficiency. Most of the time, that’s true. But persistent or severe fatigue with muscle weakness can indicate low levels of magnesium. Loss of potassium in muscle cells can induce a feeling of general weakness in our bodies, resulting in magnesium deficiency.
The third sign of magnesium deficiency is an irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia, a serious symptom. In a few cases, arrhythmia can result in heart palpitations. This feels like you are skipping a heartbeat.
Some other likely signs of arrhythmia are fainting, chest pain, shortness of breath, and lightheadedness.
Arrhythmia might also increase the chances of developing heart problems. Magnesium supplements and injections can help in reducing the symptoms in patients with arrhythmia and ultimately improve heart function.
Another sign of magnesium deficiency is osteoporosis. It’s a disorder in which the risk of bone fractures increases due to weak bones. Apart from mineral deficiency, several factors can cause osteoporosis, such as Low intake of vitamins D and K, less exercise, and Aging.
Magnesium deficiency can directly weaken bones, and apart from that, it can also lower the blood calcium levels in your body. Calcium is quite important for bone formation. Low intake of magnesium can also reduce the mineral density of bones, but there is no concrete evidence.
Mental health disorders are another sign of magnesium deficiency. You can observe a lack of emotion or mental numbness in people with such deficiencies. In worst cases of mineral deficiency, people can even go into a coma. There is also more risk of depression, and maybe anxiety, with low magnesium levels.
Until Next Time,
Team Doctor ASKY!