“It’s really overlooked that magnesium can help with menstrual cycle irregularity in terms of making sure that you’re not having severe cramping,” says Anderson-Haynes, who adds it may also benefit women in perimenopause and menopause. Clinically, it may be part of the treatment for pregnancy complications like preeclampsia and eclampsia. Can You Take Too Much? The recommended dietary allowance is 320 milligrams per day for women and 420 milligrams per day for men. These are amounts most people can reach with a balanced diet; healthy kidneys regulate magnesium levels, excreting excess when magnesium intake is high and conserving it when it’s low. Daily supplements under 350 milligrams are generally considered safe for healthy adults. “If you take too much magnesium, you’ll probably get diarrhea, because it loosens the bowels,” Anderson-Haynes says. Other side effects include nausea, gastrointestinal discomfort, and, at very high levels of magnesium (usually from overusing laxatives or antacids), low blood pressure, muscle cramps, breathing problems, and, in rare cases, cardiac arrest. People with kidney disease are at the highest risk of toxicity. …