How prevalent is magnesium deficiency?
A. Research shows that most of us (even if we try to consume a healthy diet) are falling far short of meeting even our bare minimum magnesium requirements. Our current magnesium intake falls far below historical levels as well. Researchers have estimated that before the year 1900, the average daily magnesium intake in the United States was around 450 mg. But recently, the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from the years 1999 and 2000 found that the average daily intake of magnesium is currently nearly a third less than these levels. The survey found that almost 68% of modern Americans may not be consuming the recommended amount of magnesium each day, and nineteen percent of those surveyed failed to consume even half of the recommended daily intake (RDI) for magnesium. Although magnesium intake is often dangerously low in industrialized nations, overt magnesium deficiency is rarely diagnosed because the body can maintain
