By John Cannell, Vitamin D Council

There is no magnesium guru in the world, no one person who is the magnesium expert. Magnesium is what Professor Robert Heaney calls an “orphaned mineral.” However, magnesium is involved in the metabolism of vitamin D and has complicated interactions with vitamin D and calcium. Are we paying enough attention to this crucial mineral?

If you don’t take a magnesium supplement, chances are you are magnesium deficient unless you eat six or more servings of vegetables, seeds and nuts every day. According to the Good and Nutrition Board, the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for magnesium varies with age, but it is approximately 400 mg for adult men and 320 mg for adult women. Almost no one gets that much from modern day diets.

Magnesium deficiency has been associated with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and osteoporosis.

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