Magnesium catalyzes hundreds of metabolic reactions in the body's soft tissues. It plays an essential role in the release of energy from glycogen (stored muscle fuel), the manufacture of proteins, the regulation of body temperature, and the proper functioning of nerves and muscles. Its specific physiological function is to aid bone growth and the proper functioning of nerves and muscles, including regulation of a normal heart rhythm. It also strengthens tooth enamel, keeps metabolism steady, and, in larger doses, works as a laxative.

Good sources of magnesium include nuts (particularly almonds and cashews), fish, molasses, soybeans, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and green, leafy vegetables.

Magnesium deficiency has been linked to several forms of mental illness. In a February 1992 article in Prevention Magazine, Mark Bricklin reported that doctors at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine had found that patients who displayed symptoms of depression, agitation, and hallucinations were deficient in magnesium. A follow-up study revealed that antipsychotic medications often decrease magnesium levels in patients. It is now believed that some patients who do not respond well to medication show mental symptoms that may be caused partly by low magnesium levels. Replication studies will be necessary to confirm if magnesium supplements can improve mental functioning, and, in severe cases, help treat schizophrenia and depression.

Magnesium supplementation also may help people with osteoporosis, who typically have lower magnesium levels than people without this condition. Magnesium deficiency is cross-linked with high intakes of dairy foods fortified with vitamin D. People with osteoporosis may therefore require higher levels of magnesium, as well as calcium supplements that are not derived from dairy products.

Magnesium deficiency has been linked to premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Red blood cell magnesium levels in women with PMS have been shown to be significantly lower than in women who do not have PMS. In one clinical trial, magnesium supplements given to PMS patients resulted in a reduction of nervousness (in 89%), of breast tenderness (96%), and of weight gain (95%), according to R. S. London in the October 1991 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

A magnesium deficiency is common in alcoholics, due primarily to alcohol-induced loss of this mineral through the kidneys, a process that continues during alcohol withdrawal.

Magnesium deficiency may play a major role in some cases of angina. It has been observed that men dying suddenly of heart attacks have significantly lower levels of magnesium, as well as potassium, than matched controls. Magnesium supplements have proven helpful in the management of irregular heartbeats, and several studies suggest that it could be a partial treatment for angina caused by coronary artery spasm, according to a report by P. Turlapaty in the March 1980 issue of Science.

Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease reports a study involving 930 patients who showed substantial benefits in taking magnesium to treat acute heart attacks. The magnesium-treated group showed 49% fewer serious arrhythmias, 58% fewer cardiac arrests, and 54% fewer deaths than the control group. As this study suggests magnesium given after a heart attack helps people live longer. In a later, larger study of 2,316 subjects, who had suffered suspected heart attacks four weeks prior, there were 24% fewer deaths among those who had been given magnesium. A long-term follow-up of the same group found that the mortality rate of magnesium-treated subjects was reduced by 16%, and the reduction for ischemic (oxygen-deprived) heart disease was 21%.

Ornish also states that magnesium helps to lower high blood pressure, especially in patients who are magnesium-deficient. Magnesium may also help prevent migraine headaches, particularly those associated with the menstrual cycle. In a study of 20 women, those who took magnesium found a significant reduction in headaches and other premenstrual complaints.

Magnesium is also beneficial in treating patients experiencing acute attacks of bronchial asthma. One clinical study, reported by E. Brunner in the September 1985 Journal of Asthma, confirmed that magnesium significantly improves breathing in asthmatics. The degree of improvement directly correlates with serum magnesium levels.

Magnesium deficiency is prevalent in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Patients with low magnesium levels often have symptoms of muscle weakness, anorexia, low blood pressure, confusion, and hyper-irritability. Magnesium levels are significantly lower in diabetics, and magnesium supplements are commonly used in treatment, according to A. Careiello in Diabetes Care, published in 1982.

Kenneth Burns

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