Mrs. D...Have you heard of this researcher, George Eby? I was on another website and he was mentioned.
He says that magnesium deficiencies are causing major health problems in the U.S.:
http://george-eby-research.com/
MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY -- AS POSSIBLE CAUSE OF MODERN ILLNESSES
Symptoms of possible magnesium deficiency syndrome found when blood serum levels are below 0.9 mmol/L Mg serum include: abdominal pain, arrhythmias, asthma, ataxia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), circulatory disturbances (arteriosclerosis, cardiac infarction, stroke), cluster headache, confusion, cramps, depression, diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, hypertension, migraine, neuro-vegetative disorders, osteoporosis, Parkinsonism, preeclampsia, stress dependent disorders, tinnitus, tremor, weakness Examine the Conclusions section for this list of magnesium deficiency symptoms. See the Full text article here: DH Liebscher, DE Liebscher. About the Misdiagnosis of Magnesium Deficiency. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 23, No. 6, 730S-731S (2004).

Side Note:

From the
USDA Nutrient Database

Foods High in Magnesium:
Almonds, Cashews, Beans (particularly Black Beans), Pumpkin Seeds, Spinach and Tomato Paste.

I believe this for myself.

I stagger my supplements until I 'need' them. And it's quite easy to notice when I'm short on magnesium.

I continue to wonder contributes to it. I have isolated a few areas for myself and my family... and seen the same contributors for other people. However, there are many stones unturned.

I do know that poor absorption is a huge factor. For example, around Christmas when I allow more grain, refined sugar, dairy and yeast into my diet, my magnesium seems to plummet. All of these foods cause malabsorption for me.

I can also force myself into magnesium deficiency by drinking coffee every day for between one to two weeks (dependent on how much sugar and other foods I ingest).

If I am contaminated by gluten, even by consuming gluten free food that has been used previously to fry gluten foods, I will plummet. This happened to me just before Christmas. Every two weeks we were going to the same restaurant (so I ate there three times).

I began struggling with extremely depressive thoughts which I know to be gluten induced but could not isolate the source. Finally, the last time we went... and ordered the same food as always, they informed us that they had unwittingly been cooking gluten foods in the same fryer.

Then just yesterday I was talking to another gf family that we socialize with a few times a year, who also enjoys that restaurant. I mentioned that the fryer is contaminated.

They were very surprised (this restaurant is well known for catering to the gf community) but happy to understand why a couple of family members were not doing very well the day after eating there. Those members had ordered the same deep fried dish we were eating.

So how many other people have gluten induced magnesium deficiency? Considering North American consumption of bread (usually gluten based) has increased from 3 servings a day to 7, I wouldn't wonder too much why depression is on the increase also.

But what are the other contributors?

Any ideas?

I found this article recently... it is very interesting:

http://www.australianprescriber.com/...ne/30/4/102/5/

I found Dr. Jay Cohen MD's Magnesium book online at Google Books:

http://books.google.com/books?id=oD3...esult&resnum=7

It is not the whole book of course, but it gives an idea about the content.

I think it is definitely worth reading.

bumping up for new members.....

there's been studies that low-fat diets seem to be better suited for helping mood than low carb diets.

so you're suggesting that it's the carbs that cause depression doesn't really mix well with those new studies that came out saying that low-fat diets are better for mood, than low-carb diets

Good question. One that I get frequently.

The misunderstanding comes from people thinking that low/no grain equals low carb.

I did not say low carb. Low/no grain is extremely different than low carb.

That said...

I only know what I have seen work in multiple people. People only come to see me about diet control when they have run out of other options (eastern medicine, western medicine, naturopaths, etc....).

Gluten seems to be quite tightly linked to mood issues, particularly depression. I have read about some people who feel even better when completely grain free.

I know that my own mood is most stable when I'm grain free... but reasonably stable if I stick to minimal amounts of rice and gluten free grains.

I also know that if I omit meat/meat fats, I will slowly erode my energy levels - because I tried it... because I really wanted to be vegan/vegetarian for ethical reasons many years ago.

But back to gluten:

If I consume even the smallest amounts of gluten on a continual basis, my symptoms will be first, neck stiffness progressing to a headache, and then second clinical (chemical) depression. I've suffered it enough to know what it is, with a pretty big event that occurred in my late 20s, placed on some pretty heavy meds.

Thankfully, now, I know how to clear those "feelings" in 24/48 hours now... and what culprits to look for and eliminate (because once in a while some gluten will sneak by me). I have been med free for many years now. (Not saying that everyone can go med free - but I'm certainly happy to be successful with being able to get rid of them for myself.)

So yes, I disagree with current philosophy about high fat diets... esp. because lard contains B vitamins that vegetable oils do not. We all know (I think, if not, I suggest reading about B6, niacin, riboflavin, etc.) that B vitamins are tightly connected to those 'feel good' emotions. When we eliminate animal fats, we need to be aware of the B access that we are also eliminating.

Consequently, I live on a fairly high protein/fat diet (compared to what is considered the norm) and have been living this lifestyle for over 7 years now.

In my 40s, I became a personal fitness trainer (5'4"; 125lbs) and have also helped many people clear their symptoms with menu management. At 43, I am more fit than the general public. So it's not like this lifestyle isn't tremendously challenged by my increasingly active lifestyle (because the more I refine, the more active I can be because my quality of life improves).

If it didn't work for me, I'd have depleted my system pretty quickly.

However, with the enormous amounts of grain people are consuming, I also highly suspect that many people are unknowingly suffering from some type of grain sensitivity.

Gluten, the protein in grain such as wheat is know to react within the brain like an opiate (as does casein, the dairy protein). I can write a chapter about the cycling the brain does on this type of 'ride'.

Science also used to say to give milk after a tonsillectomy, then it said not to, then it said yes, then it said no. Science constantly 'changes its mind'.

My non-medical, layperson opinion is, go with what works for you and in my completely non-professional opinion, the only real way to do that is to test it - and test it well via a TOTAL elimination diet - not one item at a time (that's just bunk because most people react to more than one food and won't experience symptom elimination by removing one food at a time).

I have no doubt that some people, who do not process fats well would experience reduced life quality but do think that they should explore the idea that a grain sensitivity can be the causative factor behind the inability to process fats.

Eliminate gluten and/or grain (and any other food sensitive items), give the intestines time to heal and the ability to process fats *may* improve. Current studies on a low fat diet do not explore this caveat and therefore people are seldom, if ever, given the option.

[QUOTE=KimS;598374]Good question. One that I get frequently.

The misunderstanding comes from people thinking that low/no grain equals low carb.

I did not say low carb. Low/no grain is extremely different than low carb.

[QUOTE]

what do u mean by this? that you can be on a low gluten diet, and still have carbs for mood support? In my belief i think that carbs are needed for good moods, and that low carb diets, make me feel flat.

Bruegger, carbohydrates are found in many vegetables,
(potatoes, squash, carrots), all fruits, and include sugars.

If you use this site:
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/v...roducts/2770/2
You can see a baked potato has about 254 calories from carbohydrate.

Kim is approaching this subject of magnesium absorption problems from a GLUTEN perspective. In people with gluten intolerance issues, or Celiac, the inflammation in the GI tract prevents normal absorption of some nutrients. I don't think she is posting regarding the controversy of "low carb" vs "low fat" general diets.
She will correct me if I am mistaken.

A person can follow the gluten free diet and still consume alot of carbohydrates if they want to. Gluten free means avoidance of things containing the gluten peptide (wheat, rye, barley, etc). It does not exclude all carbohydrate sources.

I hope that helps clarify the subject for you.

MrsD, as usual, is just about spot on. It's wonderful to see you again as always MrsD.

It's funny how I don't get any e-mails from here for a long time and then all of a sudden get two in one week. Shows how people are still wanting to learn more and more.

I react to complex sugars... so potatoes are kept to a minimum for me also. (Symptoms: headache, muscle cramping, etc. I'm pretty healed now- approx. 7 years in, very strict - so malabsorption is pretty much history for me at this point).

I do eat a LOT of veggies, including fruits, squash carrots, etc.

If you're interested, you can read about several diets that some people do better with:

SCD (specific carbohydrate diet)
paleo diet
primal diet
candida diet

Something in one of those might click for you if you think you're not feeling as well as you should with your current dietary practises.

All diet changes should be checked out with a personal medical professional first.

And I do suggest checking out iodine intake if people are low energy. With everyone going low salt, it *can* also mean that they're depleting iodine. Also, if they live in an iodine poor area of the planet (like the Great Lakes Region in North America) and perhaps practising the 100 Mile Diet and/or a low sodium diet.

Again, consult a medical professional if you think this might pertain to you. Thyroid issues might rule this a bad choice and so tests may need to be done before implementing this type of diet change.

That said, if I drink coffee every day, I do seem to have magnesium levels plummet. (Did I say this before? I didn't read back... pressed for time these days.) I haven't had it tested but can rid myself of that 'ick' feeling by having an epsom salt bath and supplementing all my vits again for a few days. Of course coffee does make you pee out pretty much everything, doesn't it? :/

Still. I love it and it's my weekend treat that I always look forward to.

I see that you're taking Vit D. If it's for bone, did you see the Japanese studies that say it doesn't work without K? K1 or K2 - I forget... MrsD? I know a lot of people don't know about the Japanese results. They're on Pubmed like everything else.

edit to say: I'm not on a low gluten diet. I'm on a NO gluten diet. I do not tolerate any amount of gluten and am absolutely FREAKISH in my avoidance of it. Migraines are *not* coming back into my life again... and gluten is the only thing that can do that to me.

hth