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Nearly 70% Of Americans Are Deficient In This Mineral & Blood Tests Miss It Have you ever suspected something was off with your health, even when your lab results came back 'normal'?
When it comes to your levels of key vitamins and minerals, that instinct might be more accurate than you think. New research reveals millions of Americans may be walking around with a hidden magnesium deficiency that standard blood tests aren't catching. What the research found Researchers analyzed magnesium levels in over 5,000 adults in the National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey between 2021 and 2023.
Based on a serum magnesium threshold of less than 2.06 mg/dL, they found that 67.8% of U.S. adults may be at risk for chronic latent magnesium deficiency. This is a condition where blood magnesium levels appear within the normal range, but your body's magnesium stores are depleted. The prevalence of this deficiency was even higher in certain populations.
It affected: Magnesium plays a central role in glucose metabolism and insulin signaling, which provides biological evidence for these findings. But metabolic conditions aren't the only risk factor. Certain medications can also cause serum magnesium levels to decrease, including diuretics, proton pump inhibitors, and some immunosuppressants. Women also had significantly lower serum magnesium levels compared to men, though the researchers noted the difference was small from a clinical standpoint.
Why standard blood tests miss it More than 99% of magnesium is stored in your bones, muscles, and soft tissues, not in your blood. That means a standard blood test only captures a fraction of your total magnesium status.
Furthermore, serum magnesium isn't routinely included in standard blood tests. Even when it is tested, the reference intervals most hospitals use were derived from NHANES I data collected more than 50 years ago. This means your magnesium levels might look fine on your blood test, while your body is quietly running low on the mineral. So it should come as no surprise that researchers describe abnormalities in serum magnesium as one of the most underdiagnosed deficiencies in clinical practice.
Why magnesium levels have dropped If you're wondering why so many people are deficient, the answer lies partly in our food supply. According to the study, the magnesium content of fruits and vegetables has decreased over the last 50 years, following the content in soil used for farming. On top of that, approximately 80% of this mineral is lost during food processing.
The researchers also note that about half of the U.S. population don't eat enough magnesium fod to begin with. When you combine declining food quality with inadequate intake, widespread deficiency starts to make sense. The signs of magnesium deficiency Magnesium is involved in over 300 chemical processes in the body, so there are lots of signs that you may be low on this mineral.
Some of the most common symptoms include: What you can do about it Even though magnesium deficiency is eerily common, it's not hard to fix. Here are same ways to take action if you suspect your magnesium levels are lacking: The takeaway This research is a reminder that 'normal' lab results don't always tell the whole story. If you've been feeling off and can't pinpoint why, magnesium status is worth investigating.
But with the right testing and targeted interventions, it's a deficiency you can address. And given magnesium's role in everything from energy production to blood sugar regulation, getting your levels optimized could have ripple effects across your entire health.
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Fastest comet ever recorded spewed 70 Olympic pools’ worth of water dailyAndrew Paul is Popular Science's staff writer focused primarily on tech, AI, physics, and culture news. He was previously a regular contributor to The A.V. Club and Input, and has been featured by Rolling Stone, Fangoria, GQ, Slate, NBC, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and elsewhere. He lives outside Indianapolis.
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