Dukan Diet Plan


The revolutionary weight loss plan has taken the world by storm! Our 4 Phase diet gives you 2 steps to lose the weight and 2 steps to keep it off forever! This is healthy eating where you eat "as much as you like" of 100 foods - no starvation and no frustration.


Magnesium (see also Spasmophilia)

Pierre Dukan month's file

This month’s file

Each month discover the file of the month.

Check out our monthly file about diet and nutrition. 

Learn about the latest worldwide research and studies done on nutrition and health and their impact on the Dukan Diet.

Magnesium 

Magnesium's role and functions in the body are essential and universally recognised.

I - The role of magnesium 

Magnesium participates in numerous enzymatic functions, but its main role is to regulate the transmission of nerve impulses in the nervous system itself and in all organs in which it projects itself (the heart, the digestive tract, etc.)

II - Magnesium food sources 

The two richest sources of magnesium are cocoa (410 mg/100 g) and soya (310 mg). Almond oil is also a good source with 254 mg, as well as peanuts (170mg) and hazelnuts (140mg). Starches with magnesium include: white beans (170 mg,)  oatmeal (130 mg), corn (20mg), lentils and whole bread (90mg). Dried fruis also include this element: figs (72 mg), and dried dates (68 mg). Among vegetables, spinach is the leader with 50 mg, following with avocado (41 mg), as well as parsley, artichoke and potatoes (30mg). The only fruit that contains a significant amount is the banana with 35 mg.

III - Magnesium requirements 

1 - Male adults and teenagers need 300mg of magnesium per day. Women require 350 mg and pregnant women need to consume 450 mg. These requirements are often difficult to consume on a daily basis.  

2 - Three reasons why we don't get enough magnesium in our diet:

  • a - Excessive and constant stress in our daily lives can cause a depletion of magnesium.
  • b - Weight-loss regimes in general lack magnesium, since foods rich in magnesium are also highly caloric and are the first to be removed from the diet (chocolate, almonds). Additionally, these diets call for a high consumption of drinks that are often diuretic and laxative in nature, which causes a loss in magnesium through the urinary and intestinal tract. 
  • c - Many foods that contain magnesium naturally are industrially refined and lose the nutrient through the process (such as in refined cereals). 

IV - Deficiency symptons: Spasmophilia 

Magnesium deficiency can be felt everywhere the nerve impulse travels. This explains the surprising diversity of its deficiency symptoms.  

1 - Spasmophilia almost always develops when one is suffering from emotional stress, anxiety and insomnia

  • The first identifiable signs are small involuntary muscular contractions in the eyelids or lips and sometimes other less characteristic areas. 
  • Calf cramps, tingling in the hands and legs and numbness with the sensation of losing circulation in the hands intense enough to interrupt sleep at night. 
  • Oftentimes associated with an anxious ''lump in the throat" sensation, troubles breathing, and chest pains resembling heart attack symptoms in men over 50. 

2 - Whatever the case, taking magnesium as a prolonged treatment cures most of these ailments with an adequate efficency to exclude any placebo effect.
To facilitate the absorbtion of magnesium, it is recommended to take it with vitamin B6 (found in fresh salmon, rabbit or calf liver). In severe cases, it can be useful to also include vitamin D: Either directly taken as a supplement or by consuming flounder liver for 7 days.

V - A serious danger: Magnesium overdose 

Overconsumption of magnesium is rare and occurs only if the kidneys have an insufficient removal function. An overabundance of magnesium in the body can cause severe fatigue or heart troubles, a drop in blood pressure or heart attack in certain cases.