The FIRST Sign of a Magnesium Deficiency Is... (Dr. Berg Explains)

I'd like to discuss the first sign of a magnesium deficiency .

Did you realize that 68% of people in the United States don't get the required amounts of magnesium from their diet .

Now , not to mention all the other foods and things and drugs and things that people are exposed to that deplete magnesium .

Magnesium is a cofactor involved in 350 different enzymes .

What's a cofactor ?

A cofactor is something that is required by an enzyme for that enzyme to work .

And I'm not just talking about digestive enzymes .

I'm talking about enzymes that make up all your biochemistry that do all the bodily functions .

The other thing about a magnesium deficiency is many times a potassium deficiency has very similar symptoms .

So it's it's it is difficult to determine if you have a magnesium deficiency or a potassium deficiency .

But the good news is they both come from vegetables and salads .

So as long as you already know those , you're gonna be totally fine .

But before I get into the number one most common symptom , let me go through some other symptoms .

Cramping , twitching , which could also come from other things as well , like your pH being too alkaline .

Arrhythmias , okay , of the heart .

The heart starts skipping because of a lack of magnesium mainly because magnesium works with calcium .

Magnesium helps remove too much calcium from the cell , helping this over contracted vasoconstricted artery , lowering your blood pressure .

Now as far as your bone health , people think calcium to prevent osteoporosis , but magnesium is just as important .

And Osteomalacia , which is a vitamin d deficiency , which is softening of the bones in adults , like a child's version would be rickets , because magnesium is essential for vitamin d activation .

You can't activate vitamin d without magnesium .

Insulin resistance , and I've talked about this in many other videos , has a related magnesium deficiency usually .

And this is why when you increase magnesium , you start to make insulin more sensitive , and it starts to work .

And of course , insomnia .

If you don't have enough , you'll have a tendency to not being able to sleep .

And also low magnesium can raise cortisol .

And of course , your mood , is dependent on magnesium .

Too .

If you're deficient in magnesium , you may find that you're a bit on the depressed side .

So what is the number one symptom of a magnesium deficiency ?

It is fatigue .

Now so many people have fatigue , and maybe you right now are sitting right there and you're tired .

Right ?

A lot of people are tired .

It could be as simple as not getting enough magnesium .

And I do want to mention what foods to eat for Magnesium because that's ultimately the best way to get your Magnesium .

But let me just dive into why people get tired because they don't have enough magnesium .

Remember I mentioned that magnesium is necessary for 350 different enzymes ?

Well , a lot of those enzymes are in the mitochondria , and specifically the creation of ATP .

ATP is the energy currency that the body uses to power all the different functions .

And magnesium powers something else that I talked about in other videos , the sodium potassium pumps .

These are the little pumps in every single cell that power your muscles to work and your nervous system to work .

That little pump creates the voltage because your cells are like batteries .

Well , guess what ?

Magnesium provides the energy to allow for that pump to pump .

So this is why you might have cramps .

There's just not enough power to allow that sodium potassium pump to work in the muscles , and things start shutting down and you cramp .

This is why the electricity cannot be traveled through the pacemaker of your heart correctly .

And if that can't work , you start getting arrhythmias or palpitations , or your heart starts to skip because you don't have the energy because there's no magnesium to power that sodium potassium pump in the nervous system .

Magnesium is also needed to make proteins , protein synthesis .

Also needed to make DNA and RNA , the building blocks of everything .

Now most people are deficient because they're just not eating enough of the right food to prevent this problem .

And the food that will give you the most magnesium is leafy greens , vegetables , big salads .

The cool thing , it will also give you the potassium .

So when you eat foods , whether at a restaurant or at home , and you have this little side salad that's just like 1 cup , it's just not gonna be enough .

You need to beef up your salads , no pun intended , to the point where if you're doing , like , 2 meals a day , I would say , you know , have , like , 5 cups , or just get it out of the way and eat , like , 7 cups of salad just one time a day .

Now , ideally , if you go a little bit more , it's a little bit better , but I think you should work on a nice gradual increase in your salad .

But the point is that most people don't consume enough salad .

Even associates , friends , family members , around myself , I see what they're eating , and they just don't have enough salad .

So when I go to a social activity and they bring out the meals , right , they have a big salad bowl , and you'll put your salad on the plate with all the other food .

Now you need an extra bowl in addition to your plate to put that huge salad .

Of course , I'm usually the only one that does that in , my circles , But the point is that I don't have any arrhythmias .

I don't get any cramps .

I have tons of energy because I have enough magnesium .

If you don't do that or can't do that , well , definitely start using a supplement .

I would recommend magnesium glycinate .

It's a good one .

But there's 3 types of magnesium I would not recommend .

Okay ?

The , magnesium oxide , the magnesium hydroxide , and the magnesium carbonate .

Those might be okay maybe as a laxative , but other than that , I wouldn't take them because they're not very absorbable .

The other ways that people are deficient are , they eat too many refined foods , especially fructose , which is in table sugars and honey .

It's in high fructose corn syrup .

It's in a lot of other things as well .

But fructose can deplete magnesium .

Alcohol .

And what is alcohol made from ?

Sugar .

The more inflammation you have , the less magnesium you're gonna have in your body .

If you wanna know a good biomarker on a blood test for a magnesium deficiency , look at something called c reactive protein .

That's an inflammatory biomarker , and it usually means that you need more magnesium .

Also , certain medications , like especially diuretics , can create a magnesium deficiency , as well as antibiotics .

When you have this alteration in your microbiome , probably from a combination of several things , what happens is there's a certain thing that will start binding up and locking up a lot of the magnesium .

And , a lot of people start developing musculoskeletal issues like fibromyalgia , painful trigger points , a lot of muscular problems .

Because you need magnesium for that normal relaxation phase of the contraction and relaxation cycle .

Now if you wanted a better visualization of how much salad you need to eat to get your magnesium , watch this video right here .