Questions about minerals

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
Why would someone who eats a fairly diverse diet have depleted magnesium and potassium in her diet?

I don't understand this. I eat a very normal, diverse, healthy diet, I take a multivitamin. Why would these two be so low?

Anyone? Anyone?
 

susiestar

Roll With It
It could be your body is not able to utilize them in the appropriate way or it could be that your body is too efficient at cleaning them out. Usually docs first think not getting enough of them in the diet is the problem when you have a deficiency in a vitamin or mineral, but that isn't always the reason. Like my vit d deficiency - they tried a LOT of ways to get more D into me but nothing worked. Then they had to try to figure out WHY my body isn't using it or even recognizing it. No answers yet for me, but that might be the next place to look.

Why not google to see how these minerals are excreted from the body - what organ or process cleans those out of your body. Then you can look at your records to see if you have had problems wth any of those parts, or if you should have them checked.

I don't know the why, but the search I suggested is a way to maybe find it!
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
Google hypokalemia. It's complicated. I get tested for this every three months due to the diuretic I take and it's affect on my liver and kidneys - the diuretic I take is the strongest one available and I"m on a really high does because my right leg (whatever reason - unknown) swells and my foot gets like a balloon. WITHOUT the medication I can't get a shoe on and my toes look like they will blow off. I've been tested for fibroid tumors, and all kinds of weird stuff. BUT the diuretic is strong - so it depletes things in my body and can case my blood to do something too - acid keratosis I think....(spelling may be wrong) Its a great medicine, just has to be monitored.

With hypokalemia - the biggest problem is how your body processes magnesium - and there are so many combinations to what could / could not be going on - only a doctor could rule it out.
 

Mom2oddson

Active Member
From Marks Daily Apple:

Magnesium
Ah, magnesium. Everyone touts its importance, and yet few seem to get enough through diet. In fact, most research suggests that only around half of US adults reach the RDA, with low intakes being linked to type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, heart disease, asthma, and colon cancer.

Deficiency Symptoms (Just Some of Them)
Insulin resistance.
Constipation.
Migraines.
Restless leg syndrome.
Cramping.
Hypertension.
Fibromyalgia.

Why Might Deficiency Occur?
Lack of magnesium in the soil. US readers, check out this magnesium soil content map (similar to the selenium soil map) to see how you do.
Lack of magnesium-rich foods in the diet, particularly plant foods. Animal foods are relatively magnesium-poor, while plants tend to be magnesium-rich. How many people do you know who really eat lots of leafy greens? Both Primal and SAD eaters are therefore at risk.
Removal of magnesium from drinking water. I suspect magnesium-rich water (as opposed to purified, depleted modern water) was how Grok got a lot of his magnesium.

Where to Get It

Leafy greens, especially swiss chard and spinach.
Nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, espresso, and halibut.
Mineral water. One brand, Gerolsteiner, is particularly high in magnesium. Or you could find a spring nearby for some real (free) spring water.
Supplement. The chelated magnesiums (those ending in “-ate,” like citrate, glycinate, or taurate) tend to be the best absorbed. You can also apply magnesium oil topically for transdermal absorption. In my experience, transdermal magnesium absorbs best on the rib cage and inner arms (you’ll know from the tingling and the vivid dreams).
Dosage
400 milligrams daily is the minimum, I’d say. Aim to get it from food if possible.

Also,

Listened to a Podcast from Underground Wellness about Magnesium. I remember a comment about how the body needs magnesium to metabalize sugar. 56 molecules of magnesium to metabolize 1 molecule of sugar. When sugar was pure ground sugar cane, there was magnesium in the sugar cane. In today's processing of sugar, the magnesium is taken out. And he said the magnesium is also taken out of regular salt too.

And he also said the body needs potassium to take in the magnesium... so if one is low it would make sense that the other is low.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
Be careful iwth magnesium supplements. It is very very very easy to get too much and end up with explosive diarrhea. My docs wanted me to try it and it took 1/4 of a lowest dose supplement to cause that so bad I couldn't leave the house for three days until it left my system. Start with adding foods rich in mag and only move to supplements if you can't get a result through foods. While thought to contribute to the listed disorders, many people iwth those problems actually don't have low magnesium levels. It is just one possible factor.
 

keista

New Member
Also remember that the RDA is just that *recommended* Not every person needs the same amounts of everything. And in my opinion just because blood tests show you are low in something does not necessarily mean that you *need* more of that something. If you are symptomatic of a deficiency, then by all means, increase your intake.

I know the doctors these days are saying blah ditty blah blah blah, And in five years, they'll say the exact opposite. If you eat healthy, live healthy, and feel healthy, then enjoy yourself. Stressing over one deficiency will stimulate your cortisol levels and that is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO not good for you.
 

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
The reason I ask is because I have symptoms of low potassium and magnesium and the bloodwork confirms it. I have severe leg cramps, similar to RLS, constipation alternating with diarrhea, headaches, and fibro symptoms.

The one thing my dr hasn't checked is my thyroid levels, which I will ask her to do next. I've taken mag supplements for a few years as it was low once before. I do eat a diet with foods rich in mag and potassium. That is why I'm not quite understanding why I'm low. Since I eat a good diet AND take supplements, why isn't my body absorbing them and why does my bloodwork show that I'm low? Know what I mean?? It's not making sense.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
potassium and magnesium are different than some of the other minerals... each of them has a "sister" mineral, and the two work together.

For potassium, it's sodium... magnesium goes with calcium.
Sometimes, you may be getting enough potassium, for example, but too much sodium, and throwing the "balance" off.

Plus... with intensive farming methods, sometimes the soil gets depleted of trace minerals and such... so, what 'should' have X or Y, doesn't (they've found that onions don't always have selenium... depends on whether the soil has it or not).
 

Lothlorien

Active Member
I have a magnesium deficiency as well. I get lazy about taking it, because I hate taking pills and they are big ones....ick. I can tell when it goes low, because my legs ache badly. 800 mg of magnesium daily should help.
 
Top