We see that there has been recent discussion on magnesium. As many of you know, magnesium is a mineral that plays a role in keeping your bones strong. NOF always encourages you to get as much of your nutrition as possible from the foods you eat. This includes magnesium.
For concerns about whether you are getting enough magnesium, your doctor or other healthcare provider, especially a dietitian, should be able to help you. While it’s important to get the magnesium your body needs to stay healthy, taking too much magnesium in supplements can cause health problems.
Below are the daily Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for magnesium by the National Academy of Sciences:
--400 mg, males 19 – 30 years
--420 mg, males 31 years and older
--310 mg, females 19 – 30 years
--320 mg, females 31 years and older
For more information on magnesium, the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a fact sheet that you can obtain by visiting
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp. It includes information on foods that provide magnesium, medications and health conditions that can result in a magnesium deficiency, health problem from getting too much magnesium in supplements and much more. It also has a chart on the “Tolerable Upper Intake Levels” for magnesium supplements.
You can find calcium information on our NOF Web site at www.nof.org, or you can call NOF at (800) 231-4222 to request an information sheet on calcium. NOF can mail you free information sheets and brochures on a number of topics.
Posted by the Education Staff at NOF