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Magnesium Deficiency? Still Having Nagging, Chronic Complaints? Something To Look Into...

justlisa

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justlisa Apprentice
justlisa
Posted

Please take the time to read this... So many posts here from folks who have "gone gluten-free" but continue to have some significant symptoms. Fatigue, constipation, etc. I see B12 deficiency, thyroid, etc as suggestions...but I haven't come across magnesium deficiency, yet. So, I really wanted to bring it up...

Magnesium is a CRITICAL element...used in over 300 of our bodily processes! Also, magnesium deficiency is EASILY MISSED (sound like something we're all familiar with?) because only 1% of our magnesium level is found in the bloodstream... only 1%.

This deficiency is linked to many symptoms and diseases.

I'm hoping that some folks in here will find this info helpful and a good starting point to help with recovery.

Oh and... The statistics that I've been reading indicate that well over 50% of us do not get our daily allowance...not even close. Not to mention that steaming, broiling, etc can "remove" this vital element from our diets.

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rosetapper23 Explorer
rosetapper23
Posted

I agree! (And I do mention magnesium deficiency frequently.) This is one of those minerals that Americans simply don't get enough of--our soil is almost completely depleted of magnesium.

I usually recommend Bluebonnet liquid magnesium or Nature's Way Magnesium Complex because they're both gentle on the intestinal tract.

Thanks for bringing up this matter!

1desperateladysaved Proficient
1desperateladysaved
Posted

I shook everyday of my life for as long as I could remember. I began taking magnesium. Three or four days later the shakes went away. I always thought I was shy/anxious, but magnesium took that feeling away! I began other nutrients at the same time, but I think I narrowed it down to the magnesium did it!

justlisa Apprentice
justlisa
Posted
  • Author

Rose... So sorry I missed those postings! I need to do more searching in here ;) . This is definitely something that needs to come up a lot...especially for all us newbies. The biggest thing, for me, is how under-diagnosed this deficiency is...and how vital it is to all of us.

Desp Lady... Wow...another "success"! I sooo love to hear about success! I truly believe that there are so many of these deficiencies that are harming people but slip through the cracks with doctors (medical community)...just like gluten intolerance... I am so happy that you found an answer to something that had plagued you for so long! :)

Finally-45 Contributor
Finally-45
Posted

I was deficient also, but I found that eating mollasses gave me better results than supplements. I'm one of the weird people who actually LIKES mollasses on my pancakes (made with rice flour of course), but I understand some people do well by cooking with mollasses in cookies, baked beans, bbq sauce etc. Or even taking a tbsp a day of it straight.

I got the idea from reading that the minerals in mollasses are better absorbed than other sources. Maple syrup can also be used in cooking and adds a minor amount of magnesium. It tastes too sweet to me, maybe you'll have better luck.

Some alternative health professionals support this approach over supplements because they believe the supplements just run right through you, especially if you have a weak absorption in the first place. I still take supplements. I get that anemic feeling every now and then and so I experimented with watching how well my energy picked up after taking an iron supplement compared to having about 2 tbsp of mollasses: the mollasses won.

frieze Community Regular
frieze
Posted

I was deficient also, but I found that eating mollasses gave me better results than supplements. I'm one of the weird people who actually LIKES mollasses on my pancakes (made with rice flour of course), but I understand some people do well by cooking with mollasses in cookies, baked beans, bbq sauce etc. Or even taking a tbsp a day of it straight.

I got the idea from reading that the minerals in mollasses are better absorbed than other sources. Maple syrup can also be used in cooking and adds a minor amount of magnesium. It tastes too sweet to me, maybe you'll have better luck.

Some alternative health professionals support this approach over supplements because they believe the supplements just run right through you, especially if you have a weak absorption in the first place. I still take supplements. I get that anemic feeling every now and then and so I experimented with watching how well my energy picked up after taking an iron supplement compared to having about 2 tbsp of mollasses: the mollasses won.

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hopefully this is the variety of which you speak....

Finally-45 Contributor
Finally-45
Posted

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hopefully this is the variety of which you speak....

Yep, Blackstrap is what I use.

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GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

Thanks Lisa, I'll be looking more at magnesium. I've read before that people who have problems with D when taking it can reduce their amounts . And also read hat if you build up slowly your gut can adjust to it and not have a problem. Magnesium is well known as stool loosener, hence the Milk of Magnesia sold in the USA. So people should be aware that is a possible normal result of taking too much of it. So don't go overboard on it is the simple solution and build up slowly if you have issues with taking the amount you need.

Here is some info from the NIH on magnesium and foods containing it. Pretty good article, this is just a small part of it.

Well, the foods table looks messed up when posted here, but it is easy to read on the original link.

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Eating a wide variety of legumes, nuts, whole grains, and vegetables will help you meet your daily dietary need for magnesium. Selected food sources of magnesium are listed in Table 1.

Table 1: Selected food sources of magnesium [Open Original Shared Link] Food Milligrams (mg) %DV* Wheat Bran, crude, ¼ cup8922 Almonds, dry roasted, 1 ounce 8020 Spinach, frozen, cooked, ½ cup7820 Raisin bran cereal, 1 cup7719 Cashews, dry roasted, 1 ounce7419 Soybeans, mature, cooked, ½ cup 7419 Wheat germ, crude, ¼ cup6917 Nuts, mixed, dry roasted, 1 ounce6416 Bran flakes cereal, ¾ cup6416 Shredded wheat cereal, 2 rectangular biscuits6115 Oatmeal, instant, fortified, prepared w/ water, 1 cup6115 Peanuts, dry roasted, 1 ounce5013 Peanut butter, smooth, 2 Tablespoons4912 Potato, baked with skin, 1 medium4812 Blackeye peas, cooked, ½ cup4612 Pinto beans, cooked, ½ cup4311 Rice, brown, long-grained, cooked, ½ cup4211 Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, ½ cup 369 Vegetarian baked beans, ½ cup 359 Kidney beans, canned, ½ cup359 Chocolate milk, lowfat, 1 cup338 Banana, raw, 1 medium328 Yogurt, fruit, low fat, 8 fluid ounces328 Milk chocolate candy bar, 1.5 ounce bar287 Milk, lowfat or nonfat, 1 cup 277 Raisins, seedless, ½ cup packed267 Halibut, cooked, 3 ounces246 Bread, whole-wheat, commercially prepared, 1 slice236 Avocado, cubes, ½ cup226 Chocolate pudding, ready-to-eat, 4 ounces195

Who may need extra magnesium?

Magnesium supplementation may be indicated when a specific health problem or condition causes an excessive loss of magnesium or limits magnesium absorption [Open Original Shared Link,Open Original Shared Link,Open Original Shared Link].

  • Some medicines may result in magnesium deficiency, including certain diuretics, antibiotics, and medications used to treat cancer (anti-neoplastic medication) [Open Original Shared Link,Open Original Shared Link,Open Original Shared Link]. Examples of these medications are:
    • Diuretics: Lasix, Bumex, Edecrin, and hydrochlorothiazide
    • Antibiotics: Gentamicin, and Amphotericin
    • Anti-neoplastic medication: Cisplatin

    [*]Individuals with poorly-controlled diabetes may benefit from magnesium supplements because of increased magnesium loss in urine associated with hyperglycemia [Open Original Shared Link].[*]Magnesium supplementation may be indicated for persons with alcoholism. Low blood levels of magnesium occur in 30% to 60% of alcoholics, and in nearly 90% of patients experiencing alcohol withdrawal [Open Original Shared Link]. Anyone who substitutes alcohol for food will usually have significantly lower magnesium intakes.[*][*]**** Individuals with chronic malabsorptive problems such as Crohn's disease, gluten sensitive enteropathy, regional enteritis, and intestinal surgery may lose magnesium through diarrhea and fat malabsorption [Open Original Shared Link]. Individuals with these conditions may need supplemental magnesium.[*]

    [*]Individuals with chronically low blood levels of potassium and calcium may have an underlying problem with magnesium deficiency. Magnesium supplements may help correct the potassium and calcium deficiencies [Open Original Shared Link].[*]Older adults are at increased risk for magnesium deficiency. The 1999–2000 and 1988–94 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys suggest that older adults have lower dietary intakes of magnesium than younger adults [Open Original Shared Link,Open Original Shared Link]. In addition, magnesium absorption decreases and renal excretion of magnesium increases in older adults [Open Original Shared Link]. Seniors are also more likely to be taking drugs that interact with magnesium. This combination of factors places older adults at risk for magnesium deficiency [Open Original Shared Link]. It is very important for older adults to get recommended amounts of dietary magnesium.

kittty Contributor
kittty
Posted

Someone else on the board mentioned magnesium the other day (can't remember who - sorry) and suggested using Epsom Salts, which is basically magnesium sulfate, in a bath to absorb magnesium into the body. Is this as effective as taking a supplement?

justlisa Apprentice
justlisa
Posted
  • Author

Finally@45... So glad that works for you... I will have to check that out!

GFinDC... Thanks so much for adding that info to the thread! This forum has been so wonderful to me. I'm just hoping to bring awareness to the things I come across with hope that I can help someone else.

Kitty... From what I've been reading, "topical" (skin) absorption is a great way to supplement magnesium...it's also supposed to be better absorbed than ingesting. However, I would like to caution on the epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)...from what I've been learning, mag sulfate does not absorb as well, the effects are temporary at best and flushes from the body more quickly. Magnesium citrate and Magnesium aspartate are supposed to be the better for supplementation. Also, magnesium sulfate is the more common mag used in oral supplements because it's "cheaper". Magnesium chloride is supposed to be a much more effective topical supplement. I'm ordering some mag chloride flakes from Amazon today, as a matter of fact. I, also, found a recipe for "magnesium oil" (which you can also buy...but pricey) that is super easy on gutsy.com. I'm going to try that, as well... :)

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    • tiffanygosci
      New Celiac Mama in My 30s

      By tiffanygosci · Posted

      Thank you for sharing all of this, Knitty Kitty! I did just want someone to share some commonality with. I did not know This one Deficiency was a thing and that it's common for Celiac Disease. It makes sense since this is a disorder that causes malabsorption. I will have to keep this in mind for my next appointments. You also just spurred me on to make that Dietician appointment. There's a lot of information online but I do need to see a professional. There is too much to juggle on my own with this condition.<3
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      Outgrow celiac?

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      I think your initial idea, eat gluten and be tested, was excellent. Now you have fear of that testing, but isn’t there also a fear each time you eat gluten that you’re injuring your body? Possibly affecting future fertility, bone health and more? Wouldn’t it be better to know for sure one way or the other? If you test negative, then you celebrate and get tested occasionally to make sure the tests don’t turn positive again. If you test positive, of course the recommendation from me and others is to stop gluten entirely.  But if you’re unable to convince yourself to do that, could a positive test at least convince you to minimize your gluten consumption?  Immune reactions are generally what is called dose response, the bigger the dose, the bigger the response (in this case, damage to your intestines and body). So while I am NOT saying you should eat any gluten with a positive test, the less the better.  
    • knitty kitty
      Outgrow celiac?

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      @Riley., Welcome to the forum, but don't do it!  Don't continue to eat gluten!  The health problems that will come if you continue to eat gluten are not worth it.  Problems may not show up for years, but the constant inflammation and nutritional losses will manifest eventually.  There's many of us oldsters on the forum who wish they'd been diagnosed as early.    Fertility problems, gallbladder removal, diabetes, osteoporosis and mental health challenges are future health issues you are toying with.   To dispel fear, learn more about what you are afraid of.  Be proactive.  Start or join a Celiac group in your area.  Learn about vitamins and nutrition.   Has your mother been checked for Celiac?  It's inherited.  She may be influencing you to eat gluten as a denial of her own symptoms.  Don't let friends and family sway you away from the gluten-free diet.  You know your path.  Stick to it.  Be brave. 
    • knitty kitty
      New Celiac Mama in My 30s

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @tiffanygosci, Hello.  I apologize for your thread being hijacked.   I recognize your symptoms as being similar to what I experienced, the migraines, food and chemical sensitivities, hives, nausea, the numbness and tingling, joint pain, tummy problems, sleep problems, emotional lability, and the mom brain.  My cycle returned early after I had my son, and I became pregnant again with all my symptoms worsening.  Unfortunately, I lost that baby.  In hindsight, I recognized that I was suffering so much from Thiamine deficiency and other nutritional deficiencies that I was not able to carry it.   Celiac Disease affects the absorption of nutrients from our food.  There's eight B vitamins that must be replenished every day.  Thiamine Vitamin B1 becomes depleted first because it cannot be stored very long, less than two weeks.  Other B vitamins can be stored for two months or so.  But Thiamine can get low enough to produce symptoms in as little as three days.  As the thiamine level gets lower, symptoms worsen.  Early symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are often attributed to life situations, and so frequently go unrecognized by medical professionals who "have a pill for that".   I used to get severe migraines and vomiting after gluten consumption.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins are needed to turn carbohydrates, fats and proteins into fuel for our bodies.  With a large influx of carbohydrates from gluten containing foods, the demand for Thiamine increases greatly.  Available thiamine can be depleted quickly, resulting in suddenly worsening symptoms.  Emotional stress or trauma, physical activity (athletes and laborers) and physiological stresses like pregnancy or injury (even surgery or infection) increase the need for Thiamine and can precipitate a thiamine insufficiency. Pregnancy requires more thiamine, not just for the mother, but for the child as well.  The mother's Thiamine stores are often depleted trying to meet the higher demand of a growing fetus.  Thiamine insufficiency can affect babies in utero and after birth (autism, ADHD).  Having babies close together doesn't allow time for the mother to replenish thiamine stores sufficiently.   Thiamine insufficiency can cause migraines, pins and needles (paresthesia), and gastrointestinal Beriberi (gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, back pain).   Thiamine deficiency can cause blurry vision, difficulty focusing, and affect the eyes in other ways.  Thiamine deficiency can damage the optic nerves.  I have permanent vision problems.  High histamine levels can make your brain feel like it's on fire or swelling inside your cranium.  High histamine levels can affect behavior and mood.  Histamine is released by Mast Cells as part of the immune system response to gluten.  Mast Cells need Thiamine to regulate histamine release.  Mast Cells without sufficient thiamine release histamine at the slightest provocation.  This shows up as sensitivities to foods, smelly chemicals, plants, and dust mites.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins are needed to lower histamine levels.  Vitamin D is needed to calm the immune system and to regulate our hormones.  Menstrual irregularities can be caused by low Vitamin D.   Celiac Disease is a disease if Malabsorption of Nutrients.  We must take great care to eat a nutritionally dense diet.  Our bodies cannot make vitamins.  We must get them from what we eat.  Supplementation with essential vitamins and minerals is warranted while we are healing and to ensure we don't become deficient over time.  Our bodies will not function properly without essential vitamins and minerals.  Doctors have swept their importance under the rug in favor of a pill that covers the symptoms but doesn't resolve the underlying issue of malnutrition. Do talk to your doctor and dietician about checking for nutritional deficiencies.  Most blood tests for the eight B vitamins do not reflect how much is available or stored inside cells.  Blood tests reflect how much is circulating in the blood stream, the transportation system.  Blood levels can be "normal" while a deficiency exists inside cells where the vitamins are actually used.  The best way to see if you're low in B vitamins is to take a B Complex, and additional Thiamine and look for improvement.   Most vitamin supplements contain Thiamine Mononitrate, which is not easily absorbed nor utilized by the body.  Only thirty percent of thiamine mononitrate listed on the label is absorbed, less is actually utilized.  This is because thiamine mononitrate is shelf stable, it won't breakdown sitting on a shelf in the grocery store.  It's so hard to breakdown, our bodies don't absorb it and can't turn it into a form the body can use.  Take Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine or TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) which the body can utilize much better.  (Ask for an Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test for Thiamine level.  Though not accurate, this test does better picking up on a thiamine deficiency than a blood test.) Are you keeping your babies on a gluten free diet?  This can prevent genetically susceptible children from developing Celiac Disease.   P. S. Interesting Reading  Thiamine deficiency in pregnancy and lactation: implications and present perspectives https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10158844/ Descriptive spectrum of thiamine deficiency in pregnancy: A potentially preventable condition https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37458305/ B vitamins and their combination could reduce migraine headaches: A randomized double-blind controlled trial https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9860208/
    • trents
      Outgrow celiac?

      By trents · Posted

      @Riley, on this forum we sometimes get reports from people with similar experiences as you. That is, their celiac disease seems to go into remission. Typically, that doesn't last. At age 18 you are at your physical-biological peek in life where your body is stronger than it will ever be and it is able to fight well against many threats and abuses. As Wheatwacked pointed out, absence of symptoms is not always a reliable indicator that no damage is being done to the body. I was one of those "silent" celiacs with no symptoms, or at least very minor symptoms, whose body was being slowly damaged for many years before the damage became pronounced enough to warrant investigation, leading to a diagnosis. By that time I had suffered significant bone demineralization and now I suffer with back and neck problems. Please, if you choose to continue consuming gluten, which I do not recommend, at least get tested regularly so that you won't get caught in the silent celiac trap down the road like I did. You really do not outgrow celiac disease. It is baked into the genes. Once the genes get triggered, as far as we know, they are turned on for good. Social rejection is something most celiacs struggle with. Being compliant with the gluten free diet places restrictions on what we can eat and where we can eat. Our friends usually try to work with us at first but then it gets to be a drag and we begin to get left out. We often lose some friends in the process but we also find out who really are our true friends. I think the hardest hits come at those times when friends spontaneously say, "Hey, let's go get some burgers and fries" and you know you can't safely do that. One way to cope in these situations is to have some ready made gluten-free meals packed in the fridge that you can take with you on the spot and still join them but eat safely. Most "real" friends will get used to this and so will you. Perhaps this little video will be helpful to you.  
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