Magnesium
For Constipation
Can it Help You?
By Lorn
Allison
Doctoral Candidate, L.M.T.
- The
use of magnesium
for constipation and dyspepsia
are accepted
as standard care despite
limited evidence. (1)
It might be logical to think that a magnesium deficiency would cause
constipation.
In some cases it does help to relieve constipation by
using magnesium for constipation in a supplement form.
Though, this doesn't necessarily mean the person is deficient in
Magnesium.
- One child
based
study in 2008 (ages 3-5 years) indicated
that child constipation
was highly associated
with lack
of dietary fiber
and low intake
of fruits and vegetables.
Also, children that were drinking milk had a marginally higher
incidence of constipation.(2)
Research
does
indicate a stimulating
effect of magnesium
on muscle tissue
which would include
the intestines
(smooth muscle).
Magnesium
deficiency that causes constipation
appears to be harder to determine. There are many factors that can
cause constipation, including psychological stress.
In addition, it is difficult to find the percentages of magnesium
deficient people
who are also constipated. If you are eating a diet high in magnesium
containing foods you more than likely are not deficient in this mineral.
It is important to note
that magnesium
and many
other minerals
are in
tremendous decline
in our
food supply
and that the
people who are
magnesium deficient may
be the one's who are benefiting from magnesium supplementation for
constipaton the
most.
There has been a steep decline of dietary
magnesium
in the United States, from a high of almost 500 mg/day at the turn of
the last century to barely 175-225 mg/day today.(3)
The National Academy of
Sciences
has determined that most
Americans
are magnesium deficient,
with
men obtaining only about 80% of their daily needs with women fairing
even worse obtaining about
70 % of their needs.(4)
- 1985 intake - 323 mg/day (men)
- 1985 intake - 228 mg/day (women)
As
you can see, if the current RDA (Recommended dietary allowance) for
magnesium are 420mg for men and 320mg for women, then the United States
population is falling quite short of magnesium in the diet.
So does this mean that
people with
Constipation need Magnesium supplements?
Maybe but not
necessarily, read this...
What
if we were able to digest our food better and get more nutrients out of
even a good diet?
Would it make sense that by changing diet that we might avoid Magnesium
deficiency.
Can we accomplish this by eating AND digesting more of our
quality food to get our nutrients and not need magnesium for
constipation?
Check out some of these other
pages for
more info
References:
1. Therapeutic uses of magnesium.
Guerrera MP, Volpe SL, Mao JJ.
Am Fam Physician. 2009 Jul
15;80(2):157-62.
Review.
2. Increased prevalence of constipation in pre-school children
is
attributable to under-consumption of
plant foods: A
community-based
study. Lee
WT, Ip KS, Chan JS, Lui
NW, Young BW.
J Paediatr Child Health. 2008
Apr;44(4):170-5. Epub
2007 Sep 14
3. Altura BM, Introduction:
importance of
Mg in physiology and medicine
and the need for íon selective
electrodes. Scand J
Cliin Lab Invest
Suppl, vol. 217, pp. 5-9, 1994
4. Institute of Medicine, Dietary Reference Intake for Calcium,
Phosphorus,
Magnesium, Vitamin D and Fluoride,
National Academy
Press,
Washington DC, 1997
5. Paul Mason. Violence Prevention through Magnesium-Rich Water.
Healthy Water Association.
(http://www.mgwater.com/cyalettr.shtml)
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