Magnesium is important for many processes in the body. It is needed for muscles and nerves to work properly, to keep blood sugar and blood pressure at the right level, and to make protein, bone, and DNA.

As Dr Hamdaratu Dauda Wumbei, a registered dietician with 37 Military Hospital Accra, Ghana, explains in this interview, low levels of magnesium over time can lead to low calcium and potassium levels.