Magnesium is an essential mineral that helps promote regular bodily functions. [1] The human body required this mineral to trigger over three-hundred enzyme reactions. Peas, beans, and nuts are excellent sources of this mineral, and it provides human with a myriad of health benefits, including: [2]
- Build strong and healthy muscles.
- Support nerve function.
- Regulate blood pressure levels.
- Strengthen the immune system to ward off diseases.
- Control blood sugar levels.
- Support heart health and prevent irregular rhythm.
- Prevent digestive problems like constipation or bloating by relaxing the stomach muscles and aiding bowel passage.
- Support strong and healthy bones and that have been proved to be effective in relieving symptoms of bone conditions.
- It has anti-inflammatory properties.
- Help treat mood disorders like anxiety by regulating neurotransmitters.
Although this mineral provides a myriad of health benefits to the human body, too much of it can cause health complications, so it must be taken in moderate amounts.
Here are five common side effects of magnesium: [3]
Nausea
Nausea is one of the early symptoms of too much magnesium in the body. It is usually accompanied by weakness and loss of appetite and can last for several days. A nauseous feeling is only a precursor to many other side effects of magnesium.
Taking too many magnesium supplements can cause stomach cramps. Abdominal cramps after taking magnesium supplements together with antibiotics are the result of an interaction between both medications.
Magnesium from food rarely causes stomach discomfort or any serious symptoms, but supplements have been known to trigger a few adverse reactions.
Diarrhea
Diarrhea is another symptom of too much magnesium in the body. This mineral is known to draw water into the bowel, which helps soften stool and ease bowel passage. However, if you have an excess amount of magnesium in the body it can cause too much fluid in the abdomen. Loose or watery stools are the symptoms of diarrhea and are usually recurrent. It may also cause diarrhea to die to high amounts of unabsorbed magnesium in the digestive tract.
The stomach muscles become too relaxed, and the gut gets filled with water. This symptom is usually accompanied by stomach cramps.