Magnesium is an essential mineral and indispensable for all organisms. Even plants can suffer from magnesium deficiency, as their green leaves, chlorophyll, consist of around two percent magnesium when healthy. The body of an adult human contains around 20 g of magnesium.
The minerals plays an essential role in several metabolic processes and is involved as a coenzyme or enzyme component in hundreds of enzyme reactions. Free magnesium ions also have an important function as secondary messengers in the human immune system and stabilize the resting potential of cells in muscles and nerves.
If you frequently suffer from If you suffer from muscle cramps , for example calf cramps, then the concentration of calcium in relation to magnesium in your body is probably too high. Magnesium relaxes the muscles by reducing the influx of calcium and thus the tendency to cramp.

If the need for magnesium is not adequately covered over a longer period of time, a number of symptoms can appear that are not exclusively due to a Magnesium deficiency magnesium is involved in a number of functions. It could be nervousness and irritability on the one hand and Tiredness, feeling weak and Lack of concentration on the other hand. Magnesium deficiency can also often cause loss of appetite, nausea, muscle cramps, concentration problems, headaches and, in the further course, cardiac arrhythmia. Some scientists also suspect that magnesium deficiency can make depression worse.

Depending on age and gender, there are estimates from the German Nutrition Society (1) for an adequate daily intake, which Magnesium at 300 to 350 mg for adolescents and adults Nicolai Worm, professor at the German University for Prevention (DHPG), believes that this guideline is too low. According to him, the figures are based on the average for the population. Higher doses are recommended for optimal care.
According to the National Consumption Study II(2), which collected data on the eating habits of Germans between 2005 and 2007, a quarter of men and a third of women are inadequately supplied with the essential mineral. Among girls between 14 and 18, the figure is as high as half. Pregnant women, breastfeeding women and the elderly are also at risk.
Good to know: Your body excretes important minerals, including magnesium, through sweat. So make sure you have an adequate supply of magnesium, especially in summer, when sweating or doing strenuous physical activity.

diabetic suffer particularly frequently from magnesium deficiency. This could even be one of the causes of the disease. Two of the largest epidemiological studies (3), i.e. studies that look at the spread of diseases in the population, found through the examination of a total of around 130,000 participants that people who permanently eat a diet low in magnesium are significantly more likely to develop diabetes.

The mineral magnesium is vital, but cannot be produced by our bodies. Therefore, it is vital to take it in through food. Magnesium is found primarily in Whole grain products , but also in mineral water, meat, fish, seeds, vegetables, pulses as well as in milk and dairy products.

Magnesium preparations always provide magnesium as magnesium compounds, which means that the magnesium is bound to another substance. In the organic compound magnesium citrate, for example, the mineral is bound to citrate, the salt of citric acid, while in the inorganic magnesium carbonate it is present as a compound with the salt of carbonic acid. There are also other compounds such as magnesium sulfate or magnesium oxide.

If you have an increased need for magnesium or a diagnosed magnesium deficiency, you should take magnesium daily and over a longer period of time. It can take several weeks until the body's own Magnesium storage is sufficiently filled again. Magnesium only remains useful in the organism if there are enough binding molecules available. These are only formed through biochemical adaptations after an increased amount of the mineral has been supplied over a longer period of time.

1.) www.dge.de/wissenschaft/referenzwerte/magnesium/
2.) www.bmel.de/DE/themen/ernaehrung/gesunde-ernaehrung/nationale-verzehrsstudie-zusammenfassung.html
3.) https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/