HEALTH: Magnesium - common conditions linked to a deficiency (long post...)

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This is long but worth the time...

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Magnesium

 

Covers common conditions linked to a deficiency

 

Magnesium is a must. The diets of all Americans are likely to be

deficient.... Even a mild deficiency causes sensitiveness to noise,

nervousness, irritability, mental depression, confusion, twitching,

trembling, apprehension, insomnia, muscle weakness and cramps in the

toes, feet, legs, or fingers.

 

Adelle Davis, writing in Let's Have Healthy Children

 

 

Magnesium (Mg) is a trace mineral that is known to be required for

several hundred different functions in the body. A significant portion

of the symptoms of many chronic disorders are identical to symptoms of

magnesium deficiency. Studies show many people in the U.S. today do not

consume the daily recommended amounts of Mg. A lack of this important

nutrient may be a major factor in many common health problems in

industrialized countries. Common conditions such as mitral valve

prolapse, migraines, attention deficit disorder, fibromyalgia, asthma

and allergies have all been linked to a Mg deficiency. Perhaps, not

coincidentally, these conditions also tend to occur in clusters together

within the same individual. A magnesium deficiency as a root cause would

provide a logical explanation of why some people suffer from a

constellation of these types of problems.

 

Many of the following conditions commonly occur in conjunction with each

other and all have been linked to a Mg deficiency.

 

Allergies and Chemical Sensitivities

 

In the book Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, the authors note that food

allergies are usually associated with low hydrochloric acid levels and

poor digestion. The authors' rationale for this is that low stomach acid

leaves food undigested and fermenting in the intestinal tract. This

fermentation causes gas, bloating and stomach upset, the symptoms of

irritable bowel syndrome. Undigested and fermented food causes the body

to raise histamine levels, which produce allergic reactions. This is why

people take antihistamines for allergies, to lower histamine levels.

Interestingly, Mg is needed to reduce histamine levels.

 

Low stomach acid levels reduce levels of beneficial intestinal bacteria

which is needed for absorption of magnesium. When lab rats are deprived

of magnesium, a wide variety of studies have noted that they develop

allergy like symptoms. Their ears turn red and they develop skin

problems. Rats with magnesium deficiencies have increases in histamine

levels. They also have raised levels of white blood cell counts. Mg

deficiency has been implicated in allergies and allergic skin reaction

in many studies on humans, too. Variations of allergies, skin allergies,

and raised white blood cells have all been noted as features of many

chronic disorders.

 

People with chemical sensitivities also commonly have other conditions

linked to Mg deficits such as allergies, fibromyalgia, mitral valve

prolapse and anxiety disorders. They also tend to have TMJ, which has

been linked to abnormalities of hyaluronic acid. Perhaps not

coincidentally, hyaluronic acid is dependent upon magnesium for its

synthesis.

 

Asthma is has been linked to Mg deficiencies in a wide variety of

studies. Asthma and allergies not only frequently occur together, but

they frequently occur together along with gastrointestinal upset in many

chronic disorders including Mitral Valve Prolapse syndrome and

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Gastrointestinal upset is often a sign of

malabsorption problems, which can be a cause of nutritional

deficiencies.

 

 

Anxiety and Psychiatric Disorders

 

Magnesium deficiency causes increased levels of adrenaline, which can

lead to a feeling of anxiety. Rats who become magnesium deficient have

an increased level of urinary catecholamine excretion (a by-product of

adrenaline).

 

People who have mitral valve prolapse have also been found to have an

increased state of anxiety and have an increased level of urinary

catecholamine excretion, the exact same condition found in rats who are

Mg deficient.

 

It is not surprising then, to find that people with mitral valve

prolapse are usually low in magnesium, and that magnesium

supplementation alleviates the symptoms of mitral valve prolapse and

reduces the level of urinary catecholamine excretion, i.e. it also

reduces the anxiety symptoms.

 

Researchers in Spain found a correlation between anxiety disorders and

hypermobility. In fact, they found that patients with anxiety disorder

were over 16 times more likely than control subjects to have joint

laxity. If you put the study results together, then there's a link

between anxiety and hypermobility, a link between anxiety and mitral

valve prolapse, and a link between mitral valve prolapse and

hypermobility.

 

These studies tell us that anxiety disorders occur in many people who

simply have mitral valve prolapse and/or joint hypermobility, meaning

anxiety disorders are not specific to EDS or any particular connective

tissue disorder. Marfans also have mitral valve prolapse and joint

hypermobility which would lead one to conjecture that they, too, have

anxiety related disorders. As it turns out, a connection between Marfans

and anxiety related disorders has been noted.

 

A study in Bulgaria also found magnesium abnormalities in patients with

schizophrenia and depression. The authors thought the schizophrenia and

depression caused the magnesium deficiencies, but I disagree that that

was necessarily the case. When you look at this study within the

context of all the other studies mentioned in this section, it is more

likely that the magnesium abnormalities caused the mental illness.

(There are quite a few studies on magnesium and mental illness on

Medline. I just included a few to highlight my points.)

 

In a study from England, there was a strong association for more

disturbed and excitable patients to have abnormal (either high or low)

magnesium levels. The authors thought that the patients who seemed most

disturbed may have some abnormality of magnesium metabolism.

 

To read up on the link between cholesterol levels and anxiety,

depression and suicide, see my web page on low cholesterol levels.

 

 

Aorta Strength

 

In an experiment on lab rats, the animals had their thoracic aortas

injured with balloons. They were then fed diets with low, normal or

high magnesium concentrations. The rat aortas with the high magnesium

diets healed better than the normal and low Mg diets.

 

For more information on aortae, also see my section on Marfan Syndrome -

The Similarities to Copper Deficiency..

 

 

 

Asthma

 

Magnesium sulfate is used as a treatment for asthma. Mg is known to be

important for proper lung functioning. Mg is being increasingly looked

at as a treatment for asthma.

 

A study from Brown University showed " remarkable " improvement in

children with asthma who were treated with intravenous magnesium.

 

Low polymorphonuclear magnesium content has been observed in patients

with bronchial asthma. The study authors believe that polymorphonuclear

magnesium content may have an important role in causing asthma.

 

A study reported on in the Lancet, notes that people who have diets

lower in Mg have more asthmatic symptoms. People with diets higher in

magnesium have less asthmatic symptoms.

 

Mg prevents pre-asthmatic lung changes in animal studies.

 

Asthma is a common finding in connective tissue disorders, as are

keratoconus, mitral valve prolapse, rachitic skeletal defects and many

other conditions associated with magnesium deficiency. Asthma occurs

frequently along with allergies, seizures and many other disorders that

can all be linked to a Mg deficiency.

 

Click here to go to my diet page for foods that have helped my breathing

problems.

 

Also see my cool links section for more information on asthma.

 

Related topic:

 

Pregnant women could prevent their children developing asthma and other

allergies by eating food which is rich in vitamin E, new research has

suggested.

 

 

Attention Deficit Disorder

 

A medication containing magnesium has been used successfully to treat

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

 

In a study from Poland, children with ADHD were been found to more

deficient than controls in a selected number of bioelements. Magnesium

deficiencies were the most pronounced difference. Magnesium

supplementation in the ADHD children decreased their hyperactivity.

 

In a study from Germany, boys with reactive behavior problems were

treated with a medication containing magnesium with positive results.

 

I don't know if this relates directly to ADD or ADHD or not, but I found

the following study interesting. In a study on guinea pigs, a group of

the animals that had Mg deficiencies induced showed changes in their

brain waves.

 

In a study from England, there was a strong association for more

disturbed and excitable patients to have abnormal (either high or low)

Mg levels. The authors thought that the patients who seemed most

disturbed may have some abnormality of Mg metabolism.

 

Also see my cool links section for more information on ADD.

 

 

Calcification Of Soft Tissue Including Heart Valves

 

Magnesium is a known treatment for a variety of types of calcification

of soft tissues. Mg levels have been found to be greatly reduced in

calcified mitral valves. In a study of rats, Mg deficiency has been

shown to cause aortic calcification. Vitamin K deficiency has also been

linked to calcification of soft tissues.

 

 

 

Magnesium - Part Two

 

Many of the following conditions commonly occur in conjunction with each

other and all have been linked to magnesium (Mg) deficiency.

 

Fibromyalgia

Hearing Loss

Hypercalciuria

Keratoconus

Migraines

Mitral valve prolapse

Muscle Contractions and Cramps

Myopia

Nystagmus

Osteoporosis and Osteopenia

Premature Birth

Rachitic Skeletal Features:

Pectus Excavatum

Pectus Carnitum

Hypermobility

Pes Planus (Flat feet)

Bowed Limbs

Bulging Foreheads

Beaded Ribs

Scoliosis

Fractures

Acetabuli

Malformations

Scar Formation

Seizures

TMJ

 

 

Fibromyalgia

 

Patents with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are often found

to be low in Mg. Supplementation with malic acid and magnesium is a

common treatment for fibromyalgia.

 

Seventy-five percent of the people with fibromyalgia have mitral valve

prolapse. Mitral valve prolapse is thought to occur in about 10% of the

population in general, so this statistically is quite significant.

Mitral valve prolapse is another disorder also closely linked to Mg

deficiency.

 

Hypermobility is also closely linked to fibromyalgia. Hypermobility is

a feature of rickets which has links to Mg deficiencies.

 

Women with fibromyalgia have been found to have abnormal serum levels of

hyaluronic acid. The authors of this study suggested serum hyaluronic

levels may be used to diagnose fibromyalgia. But are elevated serum

hyaluronic acid levels an indicator of fibromyalgia, or are they yet

another symptom of a Mg deficiency?

 

Interestingly, people with Down syndrome have elevated serum hyaluronic

acid levels, too. What are some common links between Down syndrome and

fibromyalgia? Both groups have mitral valve prolapse and hypermobility

at rates much higher rates than controls, and Down syndrome patients

have been found to be low in magnesium, among other trace elements.

 

Fibromyalgia, hypermobility and mitral valve prolapse are closely linked

to each other, all may be linked to magnesium deficiency and all are

features of many chronic disorders, and virtually all hereditary

connective tissue disorders, especially Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. All

three conditions are also features of Down syndrome, which has many

overlaps with connective tissue disorders. All of these individual

features and syndromes are linked to hyaluronic acid abnormalities, and

hyaluronic acid is dependent upon Mg for its synthesis.

 

Magnesium deficiency, and perhaps other elements that affect hyaluronic

acid levels, are a common thread to connective tissue disorders and

disorders with overlapping features like Down syndrome. If these

disorders all had an underlying biochemical deficiency such a magnesium

deficit, then all of these interesting associations between mitral valve

prolapse, fibromyalgia, hyaluronic acid, magnesium, Down syndrome and

connective tissue disorders would have perfectly logical explanations.

 

Click here to go to my fibromaylagia diet page.

(http://www.ctds.info/fibromyalgia-diet.html)

 

Also see my separate section on mitral valve prolapse for information on

why studies show a strong link between fibromyalgia and MVP.

 

 

Hearing Loss

 

Mg supplementation has been found to prevent noise induced hearing loss

in humans.

 

Guinea pigs fed magnesium rich diets suffered less hearing loss than

controls when exposed to loud noises. Similar results held true for

studies on rats fed Mg rich diets.

 

Rats fed Mg reduced diets suffered hearing losses, and these losses were

corrected by adding magnesium back into the diet.

 

Mg deficiency may responsible for irreversible inner ear damage.

 

Hearing loss is a symptom of osteogenesis imperfecta, Ehlers-Danlos and

Down syndromes - all disorders with many other symptoms also known to be

caused by Mg deficits.

 

 

Hypercalciuria

 

Mg supplementation has been shown to reduce hypercalciuria.

 

Hypercalciuria is a finding in sponge kidney. Sponge kidney is

associated with calcification of the kidney which is also linked to

magnesium deficits. Sponge kidney is a feature of Ehlers-Danlos

syndrome.

 

People with EDS and osteogenesis imperfecta also often have many

conditions associated with magnesium deficiency, such as keratoconus,

hearing loss and mitral valve prolapse. Hypercalciuria is a common

finding in osteogenesis imperfecta.

 

Hypercalciuria has also been linked to vitamin K.

 

 

Keratoconus

 

Researchers in Argentina found that patients with keratoconus were more

likely to be deficient in magnesium than controls. (Interestingly, one

of the researchers from this study also noticed the links between Mg

deficits, keratoconus and Marfan and Down syndromes.)

 

Patients with keratoconus are about 8 times more likely to have mitral

valve prolapse than controls. Patients with mitral valve prolapse are

also usually magnesium deficient. Mg is the common link between the two

conditions. Keratoconus, like mitral valve prolapse, is a feature found

in many connective tissue disorders.

 

Patients with keratoconus are 5 times more likely than controls to

exhibit hypermobility of selected joints. Hypermobility is also closely

linked to mitral valve prolapse, too. Like mitral valve prolapse,

hypermobility may also result from magnesium deficits. All three

conditions are linked to connective tissue disorders.

 

Keratoconus, mitral valve prolapse, hypermobility and fibromyalgia are

all also all linked to hyaluronic acid abnormalities. Hyaluronic acid

synthesis is Mg dependent.

 

 

Migraines

 

The link between Mg deficiency and migraine headaches has been

established through a large number of clinical studies.

 

Mg therapy has been shown to be effective in treating migraines.

Intravenous magnesium sulfate therapy has been shown to provide

immediate relief from migraines headaches.

 

In a study in France, migraine patients were been shown to have

significantly lower erythrocyte magnesium levels than controls. (Serum

magnesium levels in this study did not significantly differ.) The

authors of the French study noted that previous studies had shown that

migraine patients were shown to benefit from Mg water.

 

Patients suffering from migraines were found to be twice as likely to

have mitral valve prolapse than controls. This association between

migraines and mitral valve prolapse has been noted in quite a few

studies on Medline. This is not surprising, since people with mitral

valve prolapse have also been shown to usually be low in magnesium and

to benefit from Mg supplementation.

 

Associations have been noted between anxiety disorders and migraines.

Anxiety disorders also have a close link to magnesium deficiencies.

 

Associations between migraines, mitral valve prolapse and epileptic

seizures have been noted. Epileptic seizures can be caused by Mg

deficiencies.

 

Magnesium sulfate is also used to treat preterm labor and asthma. Mg

supplementation is used to treat both mitral valve prolapse and its

often accompanying panic disorder. Mitral valve prolapse, preterm

labor, anxiety disorders, asthma and migraine headaches are all features

of connective tissue disorders, especially Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

 

 

Mitral valve prolapse

 

Many studies show that most people (60 - 85%, depending on the study)

with mitral valve prolapse are low in Mg. Not surprisingly, magnesium

supplementation has been shown to alleviate the symptoms of mitral valve

prolapse.

 

Heart valves with mitral valve prolapse show abnormalities of hyaluronic

acid. People with many chronic disorders, especially the connective

tissue disorders, commonly have mitral valve prolapse and studies show

they always have hyaluronic acid abnormalities. Hyaluronic acid depends

upon Mg for its synthesis.

 

A review of the studies on Medline shows that hyaluronic acid is linked

to mitral valve prolapse, mitral valve prolapse is linked to a wide

variety of disorders, especially connective tissue disorders, and most

connective tissue disorders are linked to anomalies of hyaluronic acid.

 

If you put these events into a logical sequence, then you can come up

with a theory that low Mg levels impacting hyaluronic acid, especially

mitral valve prolapse, are are a common link in many of the disorders in

which mitral valve prolapse occurs.

 

People with mitral valve prolapse have been found to have higher

instances than normal of anxiety related disorders. This is thought to

be because of higher adrenaline levels, as measured by increased

catecholamine (a by-product of adrenaline) levels in their urine. Not

surprisingly, elevated adrenaline levels and increased urinary

catecholamines are also caused by low magnesium levels.

 

People who have mitral valve prolapse are hypermobile at a higher rate

than controls. People who are hypermobile have been found to be anxiety

prone. In fact, people who have anxiety disorders are 16 times more

likely to have joint laxity than controls. Hypermobility is a feature

of rickets, which can also be caused by a magnesium deficit.

 

Mitral valve prolapse, anxiety disorders and hypermobility all

frequently occur together, whether they occur as isolated conditions, or

as a part of many connective tissue disorders such as mitral valve

prolapse syndrome, Marfan syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

 

Some people with mitral valve prolapse have a characteristic body

habitus that includes pectus excavatum, hypermobility, pectus carnitum,

scoliosis, bowed limbs and other distinctive features. These conditions

are called rachitic skeletal features, which can also be caused by a

magnesium deficiency.

 

Many studies have noted associations between mitral valve prolapse and

migraines, another disorder closely linked to Mg deficits.

 

People with mitral valve prolapse also have significantly higher rates

of keratoconus, another disorder that has also been linked to low

magnesium levels, hyaluronic acid abnormalities and hypermobility.

 

Also see my separate, larger section on Mitral Valve Prolapse and Mitral

Valve Prolapse syndrome.

 

 

Muscle Contractures and Cramps

 

Tight, painful muscles are a primary factor in fibromyalgia.

 

Magnesium is needed to release muscle contractions. Without Mg, tensed

muscles stay in a contracted state.

 

Mg supplementation is an established treatment for muscle cramps, as

well as an established treatment for fibromyalgia.

 

Mg requirements rise during pregnancy. Many women experience pregnancy

induced leg cramps. These cramps have been shown to be alleviated by

magnesium therapy.

 

Also see my section on fibromyalgia diet.

(http://www.ctds.info/fibromyalgia-diet.html)

 

Myopia

 

Altered levels of magnesium and other biochemicals have been found in

patients with progressive myopia and other eye disorders.

 

Zinc has recently been found to be a treatment for myopia in some cases.

See my section on zinc for more on this topic.

 

 

Osteoporosis and Osteopenia

 

Mg deficiency has been linked to osteoporosis.

 

Mg deficiency induced in rats results in reduced bone growth, osteopenia

(an underlying feature of rickets) and an increase in bone fragility. Mg

supplementation has been shown to reduce bone turnover, a condition

associated with osteoporosis. Women with osteoporosis have been found

to be Mg deficient.

 

Mitral valve prolapse is associated with scoliosis and pectus

deformities, conditions that are known to occur in some cases as a

result of Mg deficiencies.

 

Lowered bone densities, including osteoporosis, are a common finding

Marfan syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. All

of these disorders have many other features associated with Mg

deficiencies.

 

 

Premature Birth

 

Maternal magnesium requirements rise during pregnancy. This would make

it easier for mothers to develop a magnesium shortage during pregnancy,

especially if they were low on magnesium before they became pregnant.

 

Magnesium sulfate is commonly administered to prevent preterm labor.

Perhaps magnesium sulfate works to prevent preterm labor because a

shortage of maternal Mg is what is causing the early labor in the first

place.

 

Standard medical treatments for preterm birth, asthma and migraines are

all magnesium sulfate. Mg supplementation is a common treatment for

mitral valve prolapse. These condition often appear together in many

chronic disorders. Mg is a common link.

 

 

Rachitic Skeletal Features

 

" When test animals are fed diets deficient in magnesium, skeletal

abnormalities resembling bone diseases (including osteoporosis) occur. "

Betty Kamen and Si Kamen, writing in Osteoporosis: What it is, How to

Prevent it, How to Stop it

 

 

Rachitic skeletal features are features that are associated with rickets

or ricket-like conditions. Rickets is a disorder that causes bones to

soften due to a lack of calcification. It has multiple causes, but it

is most often attributed to a lack of calcium or vitamin D. A lack of

sunshine is a common cause of rickets, because our bodies make vitamin D

when the sun shines on our skin.

 

Mg is a needed co-factor for vitamin D utilization, meaning that a lack

of Mg can cause vitamin D to be unavailable to the body. The result is

that a Mg deficit could, in turn, cause vitamin D deficiency symptoms.

Magnesium supplementation is sometimes needed to treat rickets that have

not been responsive to vitamin D or calcium treatment.

 

A lack of Mg would provide a logical explanation of why mitral valve

prolapse, pectus excavatum, scoliosis and other rachitic skeletal

features commonly appear together.

 

Mg deficiency induced in beagles resulted in abnormal changes in their

joint cartilage. The magnesium deficient beagles all had weakness in

their legs and one dog's legs hyperextended to a 90 degree angle.

Hyperextended joints are a sign of several connective tissue disorders

including Ehlers-Danlos and Marfan syndromes.

 

Pectus excavatum occurs in less than 1% of the population as a whole,

but occurs in 20% of the patients with mitral valve prolapse, or at more

the 20 times the expected rate if there was no underlying linkage.

Scoliosis has a strong connection to mitral valve prolapse as well,

occurring in an estimated 2- 8% of the population as a whole, but in 55%

of those with mitral valve prolapse. My theory is that these conditions

appear frequently together because they have the same underlying

biochemical causes, and at least one of these causes is a Mg

deficiency.

 

Pectus excavatum and mitral valve prolapse frequently appear together,

both in a wide variety of defined genetic syndromes, such as

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and Marfan syndrome, and as isolated features not

linked to any genetic disorder.

 

Also see my sections on:

Pectus Excavatum And Rickets

Scoliosis, Nutrition and Exercise

 

 

Scar Formation

 

Increased levels of Mg, along with other nutrients, has been found to

improve the formation of scars.

 

Fetuses do not scar because of the high hyaluronic acid content of the

amniotic fluid in the womb. Hyaluronic acid is Mg dependent.

 

 

Seizures

 

A link between panic disorders, mitral valve prolapse and seizures has

been noted. All three conditions are closely linked to Mg deficits.

All of these conditions have also been linked to connective tissue and

many other chronic disorders.

 

Links have also been noted between migraines and epilepsy. Migraines are

closely linked to Mg deficiencies.

 

In a study in Saudi Arabia, children with low serum Mg levels were found

to have a high frequency of seizures.

 

Researchers in Belgium note that magnesium depletion can cause a marked

irritability of the nervous system, eventually resulting in epileptic

seizures.

 

Researchers in Australia observed that sheep fed low Mg diets developed

epileptic convulsions.

 

Often, when researcher want to study epilepsy, they use Mg deficient

rats as models.

 

 

Other Conditions Linked to Magnesium Deficiency

 

Premature ejaculation

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)*

Muscle weakness

Leg movements-related insomnia

Apnea

 

 

Visit my connective tissue disorder home page and use my search feature

for more information on magnesium and related topics.

 

If you need a good book for back, neck or scoliosis pain, common

conditions in people with nutritional deficiencies, I recommend the book

Back Care Basics : A Doctor's Gentle Program for Back and Neck Pain

Relief.

 

Also see my recommended book list for other books I found helpful.

 

Many of these topics are also covered in my Cool Links section.

 

Related sections of interest:

 

Fibromyalgia Diet

Nystagmus

TMJ

Mitral Valve Prolapse

Scoliosis

 

Some good links for magnesium information:

 

The Importance of Magnesium to Human Nutrition

 

The Magnesium Website - an amazing amount of information related to Mg.

 

How to Eat Enough Magnesium

 

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(see website for live links...)

http://www.ctds.info/5_13_magnesium.html