If you feel bloated, gassy, tired and sluggish on the regular, a lack of magnesium in your diet may be the cause of your relentless digestive symptoms. When your digestive system makes itself "seen and heard” through these symptoms, it's sending an important message to alert you that your state of digestion is not functioning as well as it should be. But what are the causes of magnesium deficiency?

In an optimal state of health, you should hardly notice you have a digestive system. Your digestive tract performs all functions silently while you experience little to no bloating, flatulence or indigestion. In the instance you do experience these symptoms, they're likely related to a particular circumstance such as being nervous before a big event or eating a specific food such as dairy or gluten, which can trigger constipation, stomach aches, gas and bloating.

Feeling bogged down by your (lack of) digestive function is never an inspiring place to be. Not only is your daily quality of life impacted, but also with poor digestion, your body is at an increased risk for health complications. And getting to the root cause of why the symptoms are there in the first place can become a long and frustrating process while you try to make them disappear. The good news is that one essential mineral may help you toward overcoming catastrophic digestion and restoring your digestion back to a harmonious state.

It's been quoted, "Without magnesium, there is no life,” and that is very much the truth. And for the purpose of this blog post we'll say, "Without magnesium, there is no digestion.”

Magnesium is a life-giving mineral because it performs nearly 300 functions in the body, including breaking down, digesting and absorbing the nutrients, antioxidant vitamins and minerals from the food you eat. It is responsible for releasing specific enzymes that act as catalysts in several chemical reactions that take place in your body so that you can eat, exercise and manage stress.

Magnesium plays a key role in the digestive process because it activates the digestive enzymes your body requires to utilize the nutrients from the food you eat. Without these enzymes, you're more likely to feel tired, sluggish and bloated because your body is unable to properly break down the food you're eating and turn it into energy. Magnesium also activates the energy storing molecule, ATP.

The energy producing process in which ATP is involved is extraordinarily complex. Simply put, without ATP you wouldn't have the energy to chew or swallow your food. And without magnesium, ATP cannot be properly activated.

In addition to helping produce energy, magnesium is needed for muscle contraction. Since your digestive tract can be described as one giant muscle, you can understand the important role magnesium plays in helping food move through your digestive system by stimulating intestinal peristalsis (a series of muscle contractions) and promoting the elimination of waste from your body.

Despite how important this mineral is in our diets, many people are magnesium deficient. In fact, according to a study published by the World Health Organization, it's been estimated that less than 30% of adults in America consume the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of magnesium ^[1]

Truthfully, whether or not you're currently following a healthy diet, it's possible for anyone to be deficient in magnesium and experience digestive symptoms related to magnesium deficiency due to several factors.

Magnesium deficiency can occur due to certain lifestyle, dietary and environmental circumstances. Here are a few of the most common causes of magnesium deficiency:-

A Diet High in Processed Foods and Refined Sugar
One of the most common causes of magnesium deficiency is eating junk food, or foods void of nutritional value. Processed foods such as donuts, pastries, candy, cookies, potato chips, white pasta and sugary granola bars require minerals to be digested, as do all foods. The problem with eating too many processed foods, however, is that they do not contain any nutritional value to replenish the minerals that are used for digestion and metabolism. Therefore, processed foods rob your magnesium levels without giving any nutrition back in return.

When you're regularly consuming unprocessed, whole foods that are found in nature, you're giving nutritional value back to the mineral stores in your body that are used during the digestive process.

Chronic Stress
Chronic stress depletes every nutrient in your body, especially magnesium. Stress depletes your magnesium levels during the "fight or flight” stress response that is activated when your body receives signals that you've encountered a stressful situation.

During fight or flight, your adrenal glands are activated to release stress hormones such as adrenaline or cortisol, and magnesium is a mineral utilized during this process.

The more stress you encounter, the more magnesium you deplete. Ironically, you need magnesium to manage your stress levels as it promotes the calming of your nervous system and protects your body against the harmful effects of stress.

Frequent Alcohol Consumption
Excess alcohol consumption can deplete magnesium levels the same way that refined sugar does. However, alcohol also acts as a mild diuretic and prompts the kidneys to excrete extra magnesium. This mechanism disrupts your magnesium levels and can further lead to deficiency^[2].

Excess alcohol consumption is generally considered to be more than 6 glasses in one week.

Caffeine
As a diuretic, caffeine has a similar effect on magnesium levels as alcohol, causing the kidneys to excrete extra magnesium through urine.

For this reason, drinking more than two cups of coffee per day or tea and soda regularly increases your chances of becoming magnesium deficient.

Table Salt
Table salt, also known as sodium chloride, is considered an "anti-nutrient” food because it contains no nutritional value. Table salt has a similar effect on the body as refined sugar does, as it depletes magnesium to be metabolized and offers nothing back to the body in return.

Even if you don't use table salt at home, chances are high that you're still consuming too much table salt if you eat processed foods or frequently eat out in restaurants. Table salt also sneaks into processed foods in excessive amounts such as potato chips, soya sauce, and salted nuts.

Note: table salt is not to be confused with pure sea salt or himalayan rock salt, as it can be a good source of minerals when consumed in small amounts.

A Weakened Digestive System
If you have a weakened digestive system due to chronic stress, a recent illness or a digestive system disorder such as leaky gut or candida, your body will have a hard time properly absorbing magnesium and all other vitamins and minerals crucial to your health.

When your body can't properly absorb magnesium, how can it properly perform all of the functions necessary for digestion?

Modern Day Farming Methods
Today's farming methods such as monocropping (planting the same crop in one place year after year) are much different than those used fifty years ago. One of the dangers of monocropping includes depletion of nutrients from the soil, especially magnesium.

Our health is dependant on the health of the soil our food is grown in. To increase the amount of magnesium you receive from your foods, try to obtain your fruits and vegetables from farms that don't use monocropping methods, such as biodynamic farms.

The Dangers of Magnesium Deficiency and Poor Digestion
Your health begins in your gut. When your "gut” or digestive system isn't properly functioning, you're unable to receive nutrition from the food you eat. Without proper nutrition in your diet, you feel lethargic, lousy and experience digestive distress regularly. These symptoms not only reduce your overall quality of life, but suggest your body is suffering on a nutritional level which can put you at a higher risk for illness and disease.

As you now know, your digestive system is dependant on magnesium to properly perform its functions, and your digestive system must be working efficiently in order to absorb magnesium.

With such a co-dependant relationship, it's of utmost importance that you have good digestive health and an adequate intake of magnesium through food sources and appropriate supplementation, if necessary.

Your health begins in your gut. When your "gut” or digestive system isn't properly functioning, you're unable to receive nutrition from the food you eat. Without proper nutrition in your diet, you feel lethargic, lousy and experience digestive distress regularly. These symptoms not only reduce your overall quality of life, but suggest your body is suffering on a nutritional level which can put you at a higher risk for illness and disease.

As you now know, your digestive system is dependant on magnesium to properly perform its functions, and your digestive system must be working efficiently in order to absorb magnesium.

With such a co-dependant relationship, it's of utmost importance that you have good digestive health and an adequate intake of magnesium through food sources and appropriate supplementation, if necessary.