One of the first supplements I will prescribe for children with all sorts of issues is magnesium.
Why do I prescribe magnesium?
Magnesium is a relaxing nutrient, so it’s really good for sleep.
Lots of things disrupt sleep in children:
- food allergies
- neurotransmitter imbalance
- anxiety
- sleep apnoea
Poor sleep will have lots of knock on effects:
- poor concentration,
- hyperactivity
- irritability
- low immunity
So if you can give some magnesium, lots of issues will be reduced.
About half of all children will be deficient in magnesium.
This rises to about 90% of children with ADHD.
Children that eat a lot of refined foods instead of whole foods probably aren’t consuming enough magnesium.
Magnesium is high in lots of foods:
- nuts
- seeds
- legumes
- green leafy vegetables
- cacao
If your child isn’t eating a lot of these foods, but is instead eating foods made from white flour, they won’t be consuming enough magnesium. Milling whole wheat to make white flour removes 90% of the magnesium.
You actually need magnesium stores to absorb magnesium from your food.
So if your child has been depleted of magnesium because they have been eating a diet not based on whole food, even when you switch to a whole food diet, they will need some supplementary magnesium to help them absorb the dietary magnesium.
Australia soils have been depleted of magnesium.
Fruit and vegetables will not contain as much magnesium as they did a hundred years ago.
Magnesium absorption in the body is reduced when there is a lot of salt, sugar, soft drinks, stress, or thread-worms.
If your child has behavioural issues, or anxiety, they will be under prolonged stress, and their magnesium stores will reduce. Similarly if your child has recurrent thread-worms, the little critters will be taking some of the magnesium for themselves!
ADHD medication will actually leach magnesium from your child’s body, leading to reduced magnesium stores.
When I see a child who is on medication for their ADHD, giving them magnesium can avoid depletion and reduce some of the side effects too.
Grains contain an anti-nutrient called phytic acid
If your child has a grain heavy diet (as most kids do, this will be reducing their magnesium absorption.
How can I tell if my child is low in magnesium?
If your child gets muscle aches, cramps and spasms, they may be low in magnesium. Sweating will deplete magnesium, so if your child takes part in sports, it is a good idea to give them some magnesium to avoid the cramps and spasms.
If your child feels fatigued, this can be another telltale sign. Magnesium helps sleeps, and it also helps your cells produce energy, so if your child doesn’t have enough magnesium they may feel permanently tired (tip for tired mums – take a magnesium supplement too!)
Is your child hyperactive? Magnesium is a calming nutrient, so if your child tends towards hyperactivity, magnesium might be low, and a supplement will help them calm down.
Does your child have anxiety or depression? Anxiety causes you to wee out more magnesium, so your child will get low in magnesium, which will in turn lead to more anxiety.
So why is magnesium so important?
Magnesium takes part in 300 different enzyme reactions in the body. So most of the biochemical processes in your body require magnesium. If your body doesn’t have enough magnesium, lots of processes won’t work properly.
It is important for blood sugar regulation. If your child can’t regulate their blood sugar well, their mood will be erratic, and their concentration will be poor.
It’s important to make neurotransmitters. These are the chemicals in your brain that send messages between brain cells. If you have low magnesium, you will have imbalanced neurotransmitters. That is why it is so good for mental health.
What sort of magnesium is best?
There are lots of different forms of magnesium in supplements. Magnesium glycinate, magnesium citrate, magnesium gluconate, magnesium L threonate and more. Magnesium L threonate has some good research about ADHD, however it is harder to find and more expensive. The main thing to remember is to avoid magnesium oxide, as it is poorly absorbed. The only time you may want to use it is if your child is really constipated.
How much magnesium does my child need?
This depends on lots of factors such as age, and how much is coming from the diet, so best to work with a nutritionist to determine how much is best for your child.
When will I start to see improvements?
You do need to be patient with magnesium. It might take 2-3 months to get the benefits you want. So keep taking it every day for 3 months before you make a decision if it is working or not.
What next?
If you would like help to change your child’s diet to a whole food diet, and work with me to determine what supplements your child needs, join my online program: Create Cool, Calm and Cooperative Kids.
