Tag Archives: Nature Made

Weight: 156 lb

Transgressions: none

Exercise: none

Comments

I started an over-the-counter magnesium supplement—250 mg magnesium oxide—by Nature Made to see if it will suppress my nocturnal leg cramps.  Will try it for 4–5 days.  The recommended Daily Value for a 2000-calorie diet is about 200 mg.  If that fails, I’ll try potassium and calcium supplements sequentially.  I don’t want to “shotgun it” by taking all three simultaneously; I wouldn’t know which one was working.  Why take a supplement if it’s not needed?   

I suppose I could have blood drawn and analyzed for those minerals.  But a blood level doesn’t tell the whole story.  For instance, nearly all of our body’s potassium is inside our cells.  A blood test measures only potassium in the serum or plasma, outside the cells.  Blood level could be normal while the interior of cells is deficient, causing problems.  Also, getting blood drawn is a hassle.

–Steve