Response to readers: What is the upper limit of magnesium intake?
Response to readers
What is the upper limit of magnesium intake?
A reader wrote in with a question about the mineral table on page 7 in the May 2003 Harvard Women's Health Watch. She noticed that, in some cases, the recommended amount of magnesium seemed to exceed the nutrient's safe level of intake. She asked, "What should the tolerable upper limit of magnesium really be? Many women take it with their calcium, so it is important for us to know."
The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for minerals that we published in May 2003 (and the ones for vitamins in the April 2003 issue) were developed by the Institute of Medicine, which advises the government on health policy. DRIs reflect the latest research on the links between essential nutrients and human health. One of the DRIs, Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), is the average daily amount considered sufficient to meet the nutrient needs of 97.5% of healthy people. Another DRI, the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), is the maximum daily amount unlikely to cause adverse health effects in otherwise healthy people.
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