5 Magnesium Deficiency Causes

You are most likely magnesium deficient.  The way we eat today.  The stress we endure.  The lack of sleep.  It seems like everything we do can cause a magnesium deficiency.  Let’s take a look at the top 5 causes of a magnesium deficiency.


If you drink more than 7 servings of alcohol in a week you are likely increasing your magnesium deficiency.  Remember, a serving of alcohol is a 12 oz beer, a 5 oz glass of wine or a 1 1/2 oz shot of hard liquor.  Most wine pours at restaurants are 6 oz.  Most specialty cocktails including martinis use at least 2 oz of liquor.  Order a pint of beer?  There’s 16 oz right there.  I think it’s safe to say most of us drink more than 7 servings of alcohol in a week.

Alcohol lowers the amount of magnesium in the body that’s available for cells.  This is a result of the increased excretion of magnesium by the kidneys.  Alcohol can also decrease the efficiency of the digestive system.  So even if you are eating a diet in magnesium rich foods, if you drink the magnesium is not absorbed by your body and excreted.

Coffee, Tea or Energy Drinks

Caffeine has the same effects on the kidneys as alcohol pertaining to magnesium.  As caffeine enters the system, the kidneys are signaled.  The kidneys then release excess magnesium into the body.  This happens regardless of the current balance.  The result is wasted magnesium which creates a deficiency even if there was an excess.

coffee and dessert are major magnesium deficiency causes

Pastries, Cakes, Sweets or Other Desserts

Refined sugar contains absolutely no magnesium.  When sugar is refined from sugar cane, it is first washed removing the outer raw sugar crystals.  What remains goes through a process involving a centrifuge cycle and the addition of chemicals.  What is added is calcium hydroxide and phosphoric acid.  What is removed is the molasses.  The molasses is where all the magnesium is held.  Calcium taken without magnesium supplementation can actually reduce magnesium abortion.

In addition, sweets are generally considered an anti-nutrient.  The vitamins and minerals necessary to digest sugary desserts result in a net loss of minerals like magnesium.


This is a dangerous circle.  Low magnesium levels are associated with decreasing you ability to handle stress.  As it turns out, stress acts to further deplete magnesium levels in your body.  Stress is the most serious of the 5 magnesium deficiency causes I am talking about today.

The reason stress causes a magnesium deficiency is because as you body ramps up to handle stress you experienced heightened emotions.  You body goes through something very similar to the fight or flight cycle.  This reaction by the body requires higher levels of magnesium.  The net result results in a deficiency.

Carbonated Beverages

Most brown sodas contain chemicals that are direct causes of a magnesium deficiency.  We already talked about sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) as being an anti-nutrient.  These sodas also contain phosphates.

Phosphates bond to magnesium in your digestive tract.  Once phosphates bond to magnesium they can no longer be recognized and absorbed by your body.  As a result any magnesium present passes through your entire digestive tract undetected and exits your body as waste.

What Can You Do If You Are Magnesium Deficient?

The first thing you are going to want to do is remove the magnesium deficiency causes listed above.  It may be unreasonable to cut out all of them.  Cutting back a little on each category will be extremely beneficial.

Once you have controlled the causes you can begin to replace your levels.  A diet consisting of many foods high in magnesium coupled with a daily magnesium supplement will get you back on track.  This blog has been dedicated to exploring the benefits of proper magnesium levels in the body.  Feel free to explore and discover all the benefits of regulating magnesium.