The complete guide to magnesium
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Editor’s note: Hello there. Ankush Datar is the writer of today’s piece with a comprehensive guide on magnesium supplements. This is in continuation of our series of exploring nutritional supplements; you can read previous articles on whey protein, multivitamins, and creatine on our site.
Ankush is writing his debut book on health and wealth, set to be released in 2024. You can follow him on Twitter and or subscribe to his musings on Substack.
Magnesium is now getting attention in the fitness circuit—partly due to the growing influence of experts like Dr. Andrew Huberman who recommend this mineral’s supplementation to their followers.
I take it. For the last two years. And it has helped me solve one of the missing pieces in my health puzzle. So I am only glad as this trend unfolds.
But unlike the well known and popular supplements like whey and creatine—which have been extensively studied and reasons for use are clear—navigating Magnesium can seem a bit fuzzy.
Treat this guide as your starting point. I will cover the fundamentals and answer the common questions around supplementation—do you really need it?
Let’s go.
I. What is Magnesium?
First things first, let’s talk about what magnesium actually is and its role in the human body.
It’s the fourth most abundant mineral in our bodies, with around 60% found in our bones and the remaining in our muscles and tissues. This essential mineral is involved in over 600 bodily functions and plays a crucial role in more than 300 enzyme reactions.
And what exactly does magnesium do?
It is essential for energy production, regulating sleep quality, managing blood sugar levels, creating DNA and proteins, supporting nerve and bone health, and controlling heart function.
Let me explain.
Magnesium is like a friendly supporter for your blood sugar. It helps your pancreas secrete insulin properly, which is like having a key to unlock the cells and let glucose in. This way, your body can use the glucose effectively, preventing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
When it comes to your heart and blood vessels, magnesium acts as a relaxation counsel. It helps keep your blood vessels chilled out and prevents them from narrowing, which is like avoiding traffic jams in your circulatory system. Magnesium also encourages the release of nitric oxide, which is like a helpful sidekick that keeps your blood vessel lining in top shape, maintaining healthy blood pressure.
In your brain, magnesium is like a bouncer at a club. It blocks certain receptors and interacts with neurotransmitters, which is like keeping the party under control. This helps prevent migraine headaches (no more throbbing pain!), improves sleep (hello, sweet dreams!), and supports overall neurological well-being (because a happy brain means a happy you!).
Magnesium is like vitamin D’s trusty sidekick. It helps your body convert vitamin D into its active form, which is crucial for keeping your bones strong and healthy. Without enough magnesium, your body might not be able to use vitamin D effectively, even if you’re taking supplements. So, to make sure your body can absorb calcium properly and avoid any unwanted issues, it’s important to have enough magnesium in your diet. Think of magnesium as the key that unlocks vitamin D’s superpowers!
So yeah, it’s pretty important.
Make sure your friend’s knowledge on magnesium is rock solid 😜
II. Why are we talking about supplements?
Quick refresher: as I wrote in my piece on Creatine:
Supplement is basically that extra bit you take to fill up on nutrients you’re not getting from your meals. The nutritional gap—the stuff you need but is not in your diet.
Which means you have to figure out these questions: Do you have a magnesium deficiency? How to know that? How much do you really need? And can’t you just get it from your diet?
Let’s work this through.
The obvious reason why we are even discussing this is because a lot of us might be running low on magnesium without even realising it.
And seriously, how are we even supposed to know? A blood test is the only way to know but it doesn’t feature in the usual list of markers.
So let’s look at a population-level statistic. According to the World Health Organization, up to 75% of the U.S. adult population does not meet the recommended daily intake of magnesium.
What about India? Unfortunately, we don’t have hard data—at least I could not find it. According to a 2014 study, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) initially did not even suggest any RDA for magnesium believing that there was no possibility of deficiency in the population.
Despite the lack of specific data, there are good reasons to believe Indians might be deficient too.
The key thing to remember is this: many of the observed health benefits of magnesium supplementation may be attributed to the correction of a deficiency—not because supplementation is beneficial in itself.
In fact, magnesium deficiency can contribute to various health issues. Low magnesium levels have been linked to an increased risk of several chronic conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and osteoporosis. This is particularly true for older individuals.
However, mild to moderate magnesium deficiency often goes unnoticed, as symptoms may not be apparent. The body also has mechanisms to preserve magnesium levels when stores are low, such as reducing the amount excreted in urine and increasing absorption in the gut.
III. How to know if I have a deficiency?
There’s no perfect way to measure magnesium levels in the body. Doctors usually look at a combination of factors, including:
• Dietary magnesium intake: This can give a rough idea of your magnesium status, but it doesn’t account for factors like absorption and individual differences in magnesium needs.
• Blood magnesium levels: This is the most common method—serum magnesium test— but it has limitations. Only 1% of your body’s magnesium is found in the blood, so blood tests may not always reflect your true magnesium status.
• Urine magnesium levels: This can provide insights into how much magnesium your body excretes, but it can fluctuate based on recent dietary intake.
While each method has its drawbacks, the most accurate way to assess magnesium levels is through a combination of all three factors.
Still, blood tests are a good starting point and can help identify potential deficiencies. Ideal levels of magnesium in the blood typically range from 1.8 to 2.6 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or 0.7 to 0.9 millimoles per litre (mmol/L). However, optimal levels may vary depending on factors such as age, sex, and underlying health conditions.
If you suspect you might be low in magnesium, talk to your doctor about getting your levels checked.
There are also cases where doctors have reported anxiety in patients due to low magnesium levels.
And if your levels are low—keep in mind that high levels of magnesium (hypermagnesemia) are uncommon—or you are experiencing symptoms that may indicate magnesium deficiency, like high stress, chronic fatigue, poor bone health, or menstrual cramps, you might want to consider supplementation.
Which brings us to the next question.
IV. Can’t I just get it from my diet?
Short answer: you can. Dietary sources rich in magnesium include dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes, whole grains, and meat or fish. All the stuff found in a healthy balanced diet. Ultra-processed foods—no surprises—typically have very low levels of magnesium. If you are able to maintain this diet, you should be good.
Point to note: Certain health conditions can increase the risk of magnesium deficiency, even if you’re eating a balanced diet. These include digestive disorders like chronic diarrhoea or celiac disease, kidney problems such as diabetes or long-term diuretic use, and hormonal imbalances. Older adults are also at a higher risk due to lower magnesium intake and absorption, as well as increased losses through urine.
The recommended dose for men is 400-420 mg per day, while for women, it is 310-320 mg per day. This includes magnesium from all sources: food, beverages, supplements, and medications.
If you are not able to source enough of it from your diet, or if your blood test reveals a deficiency, or if you have symptoms suggesting a deficiency, that’s when supplements come into play—to help fulfil nutritional requirements that our regular diets may not be able to meet.
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V. Which supplement is the best?
When it comes to magnesium supplements, you’ll often find them in the form of ‘chelates’—where magnesium is bound to organic molecules to enhance absorption and bioavailability. This means your body can more easily absorb and use the magnesium from these supplements.
While there are various forms of magnesium chelates, three stand out:
First, Magnesium Glycinate: This form combines magnesium with glycine, an amino acid that can improve sleep quality and reduce inflammation. Magnesium glycinate is easily absorbed and has a preference for liver and muscle tissue, making it a great choice for supporting relaxation and muscle health. You may find it labelled as either Glycinate or Biglycinate, but they’re the same thing.
I have been supplementing with magnesium glycinate for almost two years now and I can positively tell you that it has had a qualitative impact on my sleep and overall recovery.
Second, Magnesium Threonate: This form is chelated to threonic acid, which may help it cross the blood-brain barrier more easily, potentially improving cognitive function. While not as readily available in India, some people swear by its benefits for memory and learning. I have tried Magnesium L-Threonate too but couldn’t gauge its impact in the short period.
Third, Magnesium Citrate: With high bioavailability and a lower risk of gastrointestinal side effects, magnesium citrate is often used as a gentle laxative and to support bowel regularity. It’s a great option for those looking to boost their magnesium levels overall.
So, which one should you choose? It really depends on your specific needs.
If you’re looking to improve sleep quality and muscle health, magnesium glycinate might be your best bet. If you’re interested in cognitive benefits, magnesium threonate could be worth exploring. And if you want to support digestive health while increasing your magnesium levels, magnesium citrate may be the way to go.
Keep in mind that some other forms of magnesium, like oxide, sulphate, and carbonate, aren’t as well absorbed and aren’t recommended for correcting deficiencies.
Timing matters too. Taking magnesium supplements at night before bed can help promote relaxation and improve sleep quality, thanks to magnesium’s calming effect on the nervous system.
Important note: According to Harvard Health, while studies have shown that diets high in magnesium are linked to lower rates of various diseases, the results from trials testing magnesium supplements for these conditions have been mixed. This may be because a magnesium-rich diet often contains other nutrients that work together to prevent disease, as opposed to a single-nutrient supplement.
For disease prevention, it’s best to eat a daily diet that includes magnesium-rich foods and only take a supplement if a doctor advises you to correct a deficiency based on blood tests.
VI. Is magnesium good for sleep?
Magnesium is often promoted as a natural sleep aid because it plays a role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle and may help promote healthy sleep by acting on specific receptors in the brain. Some research even suggests that magnesium deficiencies might be linked to sleep disorders.
But the evidence on its effectiveness for improving sleep quality is limited.
Some studies suggest that magnesium supplementation may slightly reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, particularly in older adults with insomnia. However, it doesn’t seem to have a significant impact on total sleep time or overall sleep quality for most people.
Magnesium might be more beneficial for those with certain sleep disorders, such as restless leg syndrome (RLS) or periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD). In these cases, magnesium may help decrease symptoms, leading to fewer nighttime awakenings and improved sleep efficiency.
If you’re considering trying magnesium for sleep, it’s best to talk to your doctor first. As Dr. Colleen Lance from the Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital told the New York Times: “I tell patients you can give it a try and see if it helps,” she said. “It may not help, but it’s probably not going to hurt.”
VII. Are there any side effects?
Magnesium supplements are generally safe when taken in the right amounts—the upper limit of magnesium from supplements and medications is 350 mg.
Most people won’t experience any side effects, as the body is pretty good at getting rid of extra magnesium it doesn’t need.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind:
• Taking too much magnesium from supplements can cause nausea, stomach cramps, and diarrhoea. This happens when you give your body more magnesium than it needs.
• Some types of magnesium—like magnesium carbonate, chloride, gluconate, hydroxide, and oxide—are more likely to cause diarrhoea. On the flip side, some people might use these forms of magnesium intentionally to help with constipation.
• Magnesium supplements can also interact with certain antibiotics and other medications. If you’re thinking about taking magnesium supplements, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor or pharmacist first, especially if you often use antacids or laxatives that contain magnesium.
• You don’t need to worry about getting too much magnesium from foods, as healthy adults can handle the amount they get from a normal diet.
• When choosing a magnesium supplement, it’s important to pick a high-quality product from a trusted source. This can help reduce the chances of side effects and make sure your body is absorbing the magnesium properly. Look for supplements that have been tested by a third party for purity and strength.
As with any supplement, it’s always best to take magnesium under the guidance of a healthcare professional. They can help you figure out the right amount for your needs and make sure it won’t interfere with any other medications you’re taking.
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