What is the role of Magnesium in the human body?

The human body contains about 760mg magnesium at birth, approximately 5g at the age of 4-5 months and 25g in the case of adults. Of the body's magnesium, 30-40% is found in muscles and soft tissues, 1% is found in extracellular fluid, and 60-70% in the skeleton.²

Magnesium plays an important part as a co-factor in many enzymatic pathways. Magnesium modulates and controls the access of calcium into cells and the release of calcium into muscles and nerves. This control of calcium transport is responsible for many physiological functions including the control of neural activity, cardiac excitability, neuromuscular transmission, muscle contraction, vasomotor tone, as well as blood pressure and peripheral blood circulation.^3,4,5

Magnesium Levels

The clinical features of inadequate levels of magnesium include signs linked to bone and mineral metabolism, neuromuscular and psychological events, signs linked to the balance of potassium levels and cardiovascular events. Most of the first symptoms associated with low magnesium levels are neurological or neuromuscular. Thus, decreased magnesium levels lead to loss of appetite, nausea, muscle weakness, vomiting, fatigue, lethargy, instability and, in the case of prolonged deficit, weight loss.¹