10. High blood pressure
Magnesium is very important in maintaining a healthy blood pressure; a deficiency can definitely cause pressure to be too high. “Eating foods high in magnesium and other minerals can help prevent high blood pressure in people with prehypertension,” says WebMD.
11. Type 2 diabetes
Breaking down blood sugars is another of magnesium’s jobs in the human body. “People with higher amounts of magnesium in their diets tend to have a lower risk of developing diabetes,” says the NIH. Research is ongoing to determine whether magnesium therapy can be used in diabetes treatment.
12. Depression, anxiety, confusion or personality changes
Low levels of magnesium in the brain can affect neurological functions that result in all sorts of problems. Studies have shown that some phobias — such as agoraphobia — have developed as a result of low magnesium levels, Dr. Hoffman says. Magnesium has long been used as an effective home remedy for these symptoms, says Psychology Today in an article titled “Magnesium and the Brain: The Original Chill Pill.”
The safest way to increase magnesium intake is to simply adjust your diet through eating magnesium-rich foods. In the unlikely event of ingesting excess magnesium in food, it is safely eliminated by healthy kidneys. Excess magnesium from supplements cannot be eliminated in this way and can result in enough toxicity to cause cardiac arrest.
