Magnesium aids in helping the heart function, generating energy, regulating blood sugar levels, and forming bones and teeth. It is found in more than 300 chemical processes in the body. Magnesium comes from certain foods, but supplements assure adequate levels.

Deficiencies in magnesium could make your body vulnerable to a wide range of illnesses and chronic health conditions. The list of health risks related to magnesium deficiency is daunting, but symptoms such as muscle cramps, contractions, and spasms anywhere in your body may be related to magnesium deficiency. Serious effects include numbness, tingling, coronary spasms, and seizures.

Eating a diet rich in whole grains, nuts, fish, meat, beans, and dark green vegetables is a good way to get magnesium. However, since many people don’t get enough magnesium through diet, a supplement may be in order.

ALERT: Doctors Are Using Magnesium to Reverse Diabetes. See How.

There are many magnesium supplements available, so choosing the right one and the right amount is important. The National Institutes of Health recommends adult males get 270 to 400 mg a day and adult females get 320 mg each day. It is recommended that you take half as much magnesium as calcium because these two minerals work together for optimal health. If you are taking calcium already, a magnesium supplement helps with calcium absorption.

The supplements easiest to absorb are magnesium citrate or magnesium taurate, according to Natural News. Magnesium glycinate, chloride, carbonate, and malate are also considered good choices.

Avoid magnesium sulfate, glutamate and oxide. They are more difficult to absorb and may pass through the body without providing the benefits you need, and they can irritate your digestion.

SPECIAL: Doctors Are Using Magnesium to Prevent Alzheimer's

Your body will absorb magnesium from a hot bath with Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate). Although pleasant and good for you, if you need magnesium, bathing doesn’t provide enough controlled absorption to meet the minimum daily requirements.

Magnesium supplements can be a good idea for many people, but as with anything, too much can be a problem. An excess amount of magnesium can cause diarrhea, a change in your mental capabilities, nausea, loss of appetite, muscle weakness, difficulty breathing, low blood pressure, and irregular heartbeat.

People with kidney disease or severe heart disease should take magnesium only under a doctor’s supervision.

ALERT: Learn How Doctors Are Using Magnesium to Reverse Diabetes

Related Stories:

Do I Have Diabetes? Quick Quiz to Show If Symptoms Mean It’s Time to See Doctor

Do I Have Rheumatoid Arthritis? 6 Symptoms Women Should Never Ignore