Arab Healthy Water Association

Magnesium Deficiency

Hard water can be an important source of magnesium. Desert springs and wells are often rich in magnesium, but modern water treatment plants use Reverse Osmosis or other purification which removes magnesium from water.

Magnesium deficiency may be causing about 990,000 Arab deaths per annum, assuming Arab population is 300,000,000 and based on international projections*. This assumes that Arab diets, like Western diets, are trending toward more refined foods and purified water, lacking magnesium. Most Mg-deficiency deaths are a result of heart disease, but asthma, migraine, cramps, and many other illnesses can be caused by magnesium deficiency.

Adult males should get 420 mg of magnesium per day, but are actually averaging only 327 mg/day, according to an exhaustive literature review.

Worldwide, there are 79 brands of bottled water containing 110 mg/L magnesium or more.

Natural springs containing magnesium bicarbonate may be found in geologic "ultra-mafic" rock formations containing the rock called "serpentine."

There are three ways of putting magnesium into purified drinking water without impacting flavor:

(a) magnesium lactate
(b) magnesium chloride
(c) magnesium bicarbonate (tastes good, but costs a little more)

There may also be extra health benefits from the bicarbonate.

To see the medical journal articles supporting these statements, please see below.

The Arab Healthy Water Association petitions that your Health Agency recommend that all bottled water and soft drinks contain at least 100 mg/L magnesium. Such a recommendation would encourage bottlers to improve the healthfulness of their beverages, saving numerous lives.

^* Calculations of American Deaths Caused by Magnesium Deficiency, As Projected from International Data, by Paul Mason  

The (US) Healthy Water Association, and the Arab Healthy Water Association jointly suggest that you switch to healthier bottled waters containing at least 100 mg/L magnesium, a Ca/Mg ratio of not more than 2:1, and low sodium content <10 mg/L. (See Rate Your Bottled Water) Some of the healthier waters available:

Adobe Springs has high magnesium content.

A short list of medical journal articles about magnesium in water:

• Epidemiology of Water Magnesium; Evidence of Contributions to Health
  
• Magnesium in Drinking Water and Ischemic Heart Disease
  
• Magnesium level in drinking water: its importance in cardiovascular risk
  
• Magnesium and Public Health: The Impact of Drinking Water
  
• Risk of myocardial infarction in relation to magnesium and calcium concentrations in drinking water, with some aspects on the magnesium vs. fluoride interactions
  
• Content of Magnesium in Drinking Water and Deaths from Ischaemic Heart Disease in White South Africans
  
• Magnesium Level in Drinking Water and Cardiovascular Risk Factor: A Hypothesis
  
• Health significance of drinking water calcium and magnesium
  
• Benefits of Magnesium-Rich Mineral Waters: Water Magnesium Retention and Absorption with meals
  
• Variation in the Mineral Content of Commercially Available Bottled Waters: Implications for Health and Disease
  
• Meal effect on magnesium bioavailability from mineral water in healthy women
  
• Magnesium bioavailability from mineral water. A study in adult men.
• Many more pages about magnesium are online at The Magnesium Web Site
  

A book about magnesium:

• This is an out-of-print book by Dr. Mildred S. Seelig, originally published in 1980. Magnesium Deficiency in the Pathogenesis of Disease

Some articles about magnesium:

• Magnesium: What is it? (The NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA)
• Magnesium helps heart health and surgery recovery, says report (Northern Ireland on the Internet)
• Low Magnesium Intake May be Associated with Increased Risk for Type 2 Diabetes (Doctor's Guide)
• ACC: Magnesium Helps Prevent Arrhythmia After Cardiac Surgery (Doctor's Guide)
• Lack Energy? Maybe it's Your Magnesium Level
• Magnesium Research: One Mineral Can Make Or Break Your Heart's Rhythm
• Article and correspondence regarding 7 Up's new calcium-fortified beverage
• Majority of Americans Not Getting Enough Magnesium
• Health Aspects of Calcium and Magnesium in Water
• Enhanced antiviral activity and altered subcellular distribution of magnesium/poly r(A-U) combinations. ABSTRACT
• Magnesium Maintains Memory
  
  
• WHO (World Health Organization):
  
  
• • Nutrient minerals in drinking-water and the potential health consequences of consumption of demineralized and remineralized and altered mineral content drinking-water: Consensus of the meeting. 2 pages. HTML
    
    
  • Full text: Rolling Revision of the WHO guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality. Consensus of the meeting: Nutrient minerals in drinking-water and the potential health consequences of consumption of demineralized and remineralized and altered mineral content drinking-water. 14 pages. PDF
    
    
  • 2002 WHO Report on Mg

News:

Donald W. Short, vice president of Coca-Cola, announced that Coke is creating "The Beverage Institute for Health & Wellness" to help Coca-Cola identify new functional beverage ingredients and possible formulations that address a particular health or nutritional need worldwide. Location: Houston, Texas. [The most obvious and pressing need: Mg!]

Update: Diet Coke Plus was recently introduced. The label states that it has 10% of the daily value for Magnesium in 8 ounces of beverage, enough to make it a "good source" of magnesium. Coca Cola says that Diet Coke Plus has 167 ppm Mg, or 167 mg/L, a very impressive level. Thank you, Coke, for taking an important nutritional step forward!

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Magnesium in Moscow Russian doctors appreciate benefits of natural remedies

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Posted on Mon, May. 24, 2004
NUTRITION
Make sure of magnesium
New York Times News Service

Experts who study this nutrient believe that insufficient magnesium may be a primary factor in the relationship between heart disease and cardiac risk factors such as high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, diabetes and stress.

Magnesium deficiency may even have played a role in the increase in heart attacks and strokes reported among menopausal participants in the Women's Health Initiative studies, according to Dr. Mildred S. Seelig of Decatur, Ga. Seelig explained that the women were undergoing hormone replacement therapy and that magnesium counters the possible blood clots caused by estrogen in such therapy.

Correcting nutrient shortfalls should always start with diet, especially in this case, when the best sources of the needed nutrient are foods that should be regularly consumed as part of a healthful diet. Among foods relatively rich in magnesium are whole-grain breads and cereals such as 100 percent bran, oats, Cheerios and Wheaties; legumes such as tofu, soybeans and lima beans; vegetables such as spinach, corn and broccoli; fruits such as dates, raisins and bananas; and nuts such as almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts and pecans.

Drinking water, too, can be a significant source of dietary magnesium, assuming that the water supply is "hard," that is, rich in minerals. Water supplies in much of the country are hard. But in the Southeast they are soft.

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AHWA Magnesium Committee

The Magnesium Committee of the AHWA will lobby international organizations to review and endorse the Mg fortification of beverages.

Chairman,
Dr. Radwan Al-Weshah
Weshah1@gawab.com
weshah@mail.unesco.org.eg

Dr. Rashed M.Y. Al-Sa`ed
RSAED@birzeit.edu

Dr. Ameera Al-Haddad
ameera@sci.uob.bh

Mr. Bill Sardi
http://askbillsardi.com/sdm.asp?pg=contact

Mr. Vasant Soni
vasantsoni@yahoo.com



Mr. Paul Mason
paulmason@mgwater.com

Dr. Khaled Abu-Zeid
kabuzeid@cedare.org

Prof. Elias Salameh
Salameli@ju.edu.jo

Dr. Gamal Abourjila
gamalabourjila@ems.org.eg


Prof. M.Ragai A. EL.Mostehy
mmostehy_rago@hotmail.com


Dr. Walid Shorbagy
Walid.Shorbagy@uaeu.ac.ae

Prof. Bachir Raissouni
B.Raissouni@Alakhawayn.ma

Dr. Hani Daas
rawanaqua@hotmail.com

Dr. Mrs. Bakenaz A. Zeydan
bakenaz@ewra.com