Magnesium is involved in over 300 processes in the body, from muscle contraction to energy production. Unsurprisingly, low levels of magnesium are linked to serious health conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, mood disorders and migraines; yet up to two-thirds of people in the Western world don’t get enough magnesium through diet alone. Read on to discover the seven benefits of getting enough magnesium.
1. Magnesium enhances exercise performance
Magnesium is known to be involved in energy production, and research suggests that this translates into improved exercise performance. Magnesium helps move blood sugar into your muscles and dispose of lactate, which can build up during exercise and cause fatigue.
2. Magnesium can help you sleep
Insomnia has a negative impact on quality of life. Research suggests that magnesium supplementation can improve sleep in a number of ways. Magnesium activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for helping you feel calm and relaxed. It also regulates the hormone melatonin, which guides sleep-wake cycles in your body.
3. Magnesium helps keep bones strong
We all know that calcium is essential for bone health, but so is magnesium. It plays a key role in the development of bones, and a 2014 study suggested that magnesium deficiency is associated with low bone density which is linked to conditions such as osteoporosis.
4. Magnesium reduces high blood pressure
Magnesium plays an important role in regulating your blood pressure by relaxing cells in veins and arteries so they don’t constrict the flow of blood. It also regulates other minerals vital to blood pressure. A 2017 clinical review involving 20,119 cases of hypertension found that a magnesium supplement of just 100mg/day was associated with a 5% reduction in hypertension.
5. Magnesium may prevent a stroke
According to a 2019 meta-analysis, increasing magnesium intake may lower a person’s risk of stroke. The analysis indicated that for each 100mg per day increase in magnesium, the risk of stroke reduced by 2%.
6. Magnesium can help prevent migraines
Migraine headaches are severe and debilitating, resulting in days of lost work, reduced effectiveness and extreme pain. While it’s not the longed-for cure, a few encouraging studies suggest that magnesium can prevent and even help treat migraines
7. Magnesium can help reduce anxiety
It’s normal to feel anxious sometimes, but constant or overwhelming anxiety, or anxiety out of proportion to the situation, can be debilitating. A 2017 review based on self-reported levels of anxiety found that magnesium supplements can help.
How much magnesium is enough to feel the benefits?
The NHS recommends we need 300mg of magnesium per day for men and 270mg per day for women. The studies mentioned (see links below) used various quantities of magnesium supplements, from 100-600mg. Consult your doctor before taking high doses of magnesium.
Where does magnesium come from?
Magnesium is found in foods such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, dairy, greens and beans. It can also be taken as a supplement.
Choosing the right supplement
In its pure form, magnesium is hard for the body to absorb. This is known as low bioavailability. Magnesium citrate, found in high-quality supplements, has high bioavailability. Magnesium oxide, found in lower quality supplements, has low bioavailability, meaning that you may not get the full benefit from the dose taken.
Read more:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/others/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14596323
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24465574
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12030424
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3953885
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5420140
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6692462