What is Magnesium?
Magnesium is an important nutrient for strong bones and muscles, energy, and nerve function. It helps regulate blood pressure and your heartbeat. 300 or more biochemical reactions depend on magnesium (1). A serum magnesium test measures the amount of magnesium in the bloodstream.
Why test magnesium?
Testing magnesium levels is essential for identifying lifestyle disease risk factors, especially if you have high alcohol intake or a diet low in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans. Those with a history of magnesium deficiency, digestive issues, or constipation should also test regularly. Monitoring magnesium helps track changes from lifestyle adjustments or supplements. Severe symptoms like weakness, muscle cramps, confusion, seizures, or cardiac arrhythmias warrant immediate medical consultation. Regular testing ensures timely intervention and optimal health.
What causes low magnesium?
A low blood level of magnesium may suggest that a person is either not consuming or absorbing enough magnesium or is losing magnesium. Causes include a diet low in plant foods or high in refined foods, uncontrolled diabetes, prolonged diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal problems, proton pump inhibitors and other antacids, ulcerative colitis, pancreatitis, any disorders that affect fat absorption, long-term diuretic use, chronic alcohol abuse, sweating, stress and burn injury.
Lower magnesium levels can occur during pregnancy, particularly in the second and third trimesters. Both athletes and sauna users have increased magnesium need.
Symptoms of low magnesium
Symptoms of low magnesium, also known as hypomagnesemia, can include muscle cramps, weakness, and tremors. You might also experience fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. In severe cases, symptoms can escalate to include numbness and tingling, seizures, abnormal heart rhythms, and personality changes such as irritability or confusion. Chronic low magnesium levels can also contribute to more serious conditions like osteoporosis, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases.
What causes high magnesium?
High levels are usually due to excessive supplementation or problems with excretion. Some people eliminate less than expected amounts of magnesium from the body. Blood magnesium levels can be affected by medications. Several health conditions can result in high magnesium, including hypothyroidism, hyperparathyroidism and dehydration. The body keeps magnesium levels stable. Cell levels can be low even if blood magnesium is normal.
Symptoms of high magnesium
Preparations for this test
There is no preparation for this test.
On the day
Always take I.D. with you when going to take a test.