|  | Conditions Treatments | Migraines

Magnesium Deficiency & Headache Treatment

Magnesium deficiency could be a cause of migraine headaches in some people. More than half of migraine suffers have been shown to have low levels of magnesium in their bloodstream, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center.

  1. What are Migraines

    • Migraine headaches are excruciatingly painful episodes that include pain on one or both sides of the head, nausea and visual disturbances. Some researchers believe they are caused by a misfiring of electrical signals in the brain that lead to the painful swelling of blood vessels.

    Role of Magnesium

    • Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. It plays an important role in moving calcium and potassium through the nerves, and, therefore, affects blood vessel contraction and dilation, nerve conduction and other functions in the body.

    Magnesium and Migraines

    • Some studies show that migraine frequency for some people are affected by the amount of magnesium in their blood stream. Others show that giving magnesium to headache suffers reduces the number of episodes they have.

    How Much Magnesium

    • The Recommended Dietary Allowance for magnesium is 400 mgs per day for men 19 to 30 years old, 420 mgs for males older than age 30, 310 mgs for women 19 to 30 years old and 320 mgs for women older than 30.

    Sources of Magnesium

    • Sources of magnesium include leafy vegetables (such as spinach), nuts (almonds, cashews and peanuts), soy beans, potatoes with the skin, oatmeal, whole grains, dairy products and fish (halibut), according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements.

Migraines - Related Articles