Magnesium

Magnesium deficiency is relatively common; 7 out of 10 women found to be short of magnesium.
Magnesium may be helpful for tiredness and anxiety.
If you take the contraceptive pill or are under a lot of stress, you need more magnesium. Magnesium is also lost in sweat, so if you do a lot of heavy exercise you may start to be deficient in magnesium.
Magnesium is important for bones, teeth and nerves.
Magnesium is needed by the body to balance calcium - too high a proportion of either can cause problems. This is important, because taking calcium only can end up with your body discarding the excess calcium because it can't make use of it - which may lead eventually to such problems as kidney stones, and certainly will mean that you aren't making the best use of the calcium.
Magnesium can reduce tiredness, improve moods, relieve insomnia, asthma and migraines and help pre-menstrual problems. It is used by the medical profession to counteract irregular heart beats (arrhythmia).
Magnesium plays a vital role in the formation of bones and teeth. It is also involved with transmitting nerve signals and causing muscle contractions. Magnesium helps the body process fat and protein, and is important for the secretion of parathyroid hormones. Magnesium helps the smooth muscle surrounding the lung to relax.
Along with zinc, magnesium deficiency is the most frequent mineral deficiency found in the UK population. Deficiency symptoms for magnesium include tiredness, cramp, weakness, poor appetite, arrhythmia, anaemia and tremors.
Good sources of magnesium include whole grains (such as wholemeal flour and oatmeal), nuts, sesame seeds and dark green leafy vegetables. Coffee inhibits the absorption of magnesium from food or in a supplement, so don't wash this supplement down with a cup of coffee! Caffeine is also diuretic and therefore leaches magnesium out of the body.
Not all forms of magnesium are equally well absorbed. There are essentially three forms; inorganic (magnesium sulphate, oxide and carbonate), organic (gluconate and citrate) and chelate. The best forms for absorption are citrate and chelate.
Caution: consult your doctor first if you are already being treated for arrhythmia.