The mineral magnesium is important for every organ in your body, particularly your heart, muscles, and kidneys. It also contributes to the composition of your teeth and bones. Most importantly, it activates enzymes, contributes to energy production, and helps regulate calcium levels as well as copper, zinc, potassium, vitamin D, and other important nutrients in the body.
In addition, magnesium levels seem to diminish during the menopause at the same time that oestrogen levels start to drop. Oestrogen enhances magnesium utilisation and uptake by soft tissues and bone and this could explain the resistance of young women to heart disease and osteoporosis — as well as the increased prevalence of these diseases when oestrogen production ceases. For this reason, topping up your magnesium during the menopause may help to relieve some menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and insomnia and decrease your increased risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.
Magnesium is available in many foods. Green vegetables such as cabbage are good sources of magnesium because the centre of the chlorophyll molecule (which gives green vegetables their colour) contains magnesium. Some legumes (beans and peas), nuts and seeds, and whole, unrefined grains are also good sources of magnesium. Refined grains are generally low in magnesium because when white flour is refined and processed, the magnesium-rich germ and bran are removed. Eating a wide variety of legumes, nuts, whole grains, and vegetables will therefore help you meet your daily dietary need for magnesium; however, most women simply don’t get as much magnesium as they should from their diet.
Certain medical conditions can also upset the body’s magnesium balance. For example, intestinal flu with vomiting or diarrhoea can cause temporary magnesium deficiencies. Certain stomach and bowel diseases (such as irritable bowel and Coeliac’s disease), diabetes, pancreatitis, hyperthyroidism, kidney malfunction, and use of diuretics can lead to deficiencies. Too much coffee, salt, or alcohol intake as well as heavy menstrual periods, excessive sweating, and prolonged stress can also lower magnesium levels.
Symptoms of magnesium deficiency may include agitation and anxiety, irritability, nausea and vomiting, abnormal heart rhythms, confusion, muscle spasm and weakness, hyperventilation, insomnia, poor nail growth, and even seizures. When someone is deficient in magnesium, sleep often tends to be restless, agitated and disturbed by frequent night time awakenings.
Because most women don’t get enough magnesium in their diet supplementing with magnesium is advised. Magnesium works best when it’s balanced with calcium. Because magnesium improves the absorption of calcium from the gastrointestinal tract, taking calcium and magnesium together, particularly around the time of the menopause can help prevent bone loss and ease menopause related symptoms such as hot flushes and insomnia.
Bear in mind that all forms of magnesium are not equally effective. For example, when we take magnesium in the oxide or carbonate form, we then have to produce sufficient stomach acid (hydrochloric acid) to absorb it. When magnesium is in the form of magnesium citrate, it is bound to citric acid which are easily assimilated and require little acidification prior to absorption. (The multivitamin and mineral I use in the clinic for women around the menopause is called MenoPlus and contains good amounts of magnesium in the citrate form).
