If you have low magnesium, you may experience:

• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Appetite loss
• Numbness or tingling sensations
• Upset stomach, nausea and vomiting
• Irregular heartbeat
• Seizures (in cases of an extremely low magnesium level)

If you’re over the age of 60, have dietary restrictions and/or live with certain chronic health conditions, you may have a higher risk of having a low magnesium level. 

Conditions that are associated with low magnesium levels include²:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Crohn’s disease
• Celiac disease
• Malabsorption syndrome
• Alcohol use disorder
• Malnutrition
• Chronic diarrhea

Certain medications may interfere with magnesium absorption in the body, such as some antibiotics, antacids, and drugs to treat high blood pressure, etc.¹ 

Individuals with acute or chronic kidney disease are at greater risk of having a higher magnesium level, also known as hypermagnesemia, as the kidneys play an important role in the regulation and excretion of magnesium. Certain medications with magnesium may also put this group at higher risk. 

Test your magnesium level to check if you have optimal magnesium in your body. 

Note: Do not stop taking any medications without consulting with your healthcare provider.

Many people are consuming less than the recommended amount of magnesium. A healthy diet can help support your body’s needs for magnesium. People should get most of their nutrients from a well-rounded diet rather than taking supplements.

Food sources of magnesium include green leafy vegetables (spinach, collard greens), legumes (black beans, edamame, lima beans), nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts), seeds, fruits (avocado, banana, blackberries) and fiber-rich whole grains (quinoa).

If your magnesium level is low or you are experiencing any concerning symptoms, it is recommended to contact a healthcare provider for further guidance. 

Visit the Labcorp OnDemand website to browse and purchase laboratory tests and create your Labcorp OnDemand account. All Labcorp OnDemand testing requires a healthcare provider order; for your convenience, Labcorp OnDemand has contracted with PWNHealth LLC and its affiliated professional entities (collectively, PWNHealth) to provide healthcare provider services. Visit a Labcorp location for sample collection; or, if using an at-home kit, collect your sample yourself. We’ll let you know when your results are ready to be accessed through your Labcorp OnDemand account or through your Labcorp Patient account. 

Your results will be provided to you through our secure online portal to view or print. Results are also provided to PWNHealth, which provides professional healthcare provider services for OnDemand tests. If you are accessing your results through your Labcorp Patient account, all users linked to the account will have access to all OnDemand test results. Results may also be provided to a local, state, or federal health authority, but only when legally required. For example, many states require the testing laboratory and healthcare provider to report test results for certain communicable diseases, such as sexually transmitted diseases or COVID-19, to local or state health departments.  

If you have questions or comments regarding the Labcorp Notice of Privacy Practices, or have a complaint about our use or disclosure of your PHI or our privacy practices, please contact: [email protected], call us at (877) 234-4722 (877-23-HIPAA) and ask for the Labcorp HIPAA Privacy Officer, or send a written request to: HIPAA Privacy Officer, Labcorp, 531 South Spring Street, Burlington, NC 27215. You also may file a complaint with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Your testing will be performed in a CLIA-certified clinical laboratory. Labcorp provides leading-edge medical laboratory tests and services through a national network of primary clinical laboratories and specialty testing laboratories. Our labs perform regular quality assurance testing to ensure our results are accurate.