Magnesium supplements are having a moment. Videos uploaded with #magnesium have been viewed 1.3 billion times on TikTok. Claims about its benefits extend far beyond helping people to stay calm and range from boosting heart health to immunity, fitness and even a better experience of the menopause.
So what is magnesium’s real role in our health? How many of these claims are backed by science and is it the miracle mineral social media would have us believe?
- Health benefits of magnesium
- Different types of magnesium supplements
- How to take magnesium
- How to get magnesium through diet
- FAQs
What are the main benefits of magnesium?
and controlling levels of glucose in the blood.”
, it also helps your muscles function well, your brain to communicate with your body, your immune system to work properly and energy production to fire on all cylinders.
in the human body – but there’s a catch. “Magnesium deficiency can easily slip under the radar because we’re really bad at testing it,” says doctor of functional medicine and co-founder of personalised supplement company Humanpeople, Dr Geoff Mullan. It is, he explains, an intracellular ion, meaning that 99 per cent is stored within our cells, not our blood, making it tricky to get an accurate reading of your levels via a blood test.
1. Heart health
Magnesium does more than help to regulate blood pressure and blood glucose levels, explains Srinivasan. “It also has an instrumental role in maintaining your cellular membranes, your mitochondria [special components within each cell that keep them fuelled and functioning] and the antioxidative pathways that help scavenge free radicals that would otherwise damage your cells and cause multiple diseases. It’s critical to the cardiovascular system.”
in a number of cardiovascular disorders, from hypertension to cardiomyopathy and atherosclerosis. But cardiologists most commonly reach for magnesium supplements to treat and prevent heart rhythm abnormalities.
“Magnesium has a well-known protective benefit for these,” says Srinivasan. “We commonly use intravenous magnesium in hospitals to settle cardiac rhythm abnormalities.”
. Magnesium is known to stabilise this process.
.”
People with higher levels of magnesium in their diets also have a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. “While this is still being studied, it’s thought to be due to magnesium’s ability to help the body break down sugars, reducing the risk of insulin resistance,” Srinivasan says.
2. Anxiety and depression
Magnesium blocks the activation of a key receptor in the nervous system called the NMDA receptor. “This is key to its specific calming effect,” says Mullan.
. A supplement called magnesium bisglycinate is particularly good at this, because its formula binds magnesium to an organic compound called glycine, and the latter has also been shown to have this stabilising effect on the central nervous system. The result, as Mullan describes it, can be a sense of “clear, calm, focus”.
of anxiety and depression, it did not flag any significant associations between magnesium levels and more severe panic or generalised anxiety disorder.
3. Sleep
and promoting relaxation, which are conducive to better sleep.”
A note of caution, however. The research on magnesium’s impact on sleep is “not entirely conclusive”, he says, noting that individual responses can vary. While some studies do suggest a link between magnesium supplementation and improved sleep, more rigorous, large-scale clinical trials are needed to establish conclusive evidence.
Might it be that magnesium’s influence on sleep stems from its power to reduce anxiety? “I think that’s a powerful factor in it,” says Mullan, who takes magnesium glycinate every evening. “If I’ve been ‘on it’ all day, I just know I’m going to have a much better quality sleep as a result [of taking it].”
. Over the course of two weeks, it tracked dramatic improvements in his sleep. “The only thing that he had changed was adding magnesium glycinate into his routine,” says Mullan.
is rooted in mild anxiety, magnesium is worth a shot.
4. Muscles and cramping
On social media, however, magnesium’s benefits are lauded for another reason: its supposed effects on fitness and sporting performance. The science of this is largely down to the fact that magnesium counters the effects of calcium.
, changing their shape and making them contract. Magnesium reverses this work, relaxing your muscles, so if your levels are low you may get cramps, spasms or restless leg syndrome at night.
“Anecdotally, a lot of people say it reduces their cramping and there have been studies on athletes showing it helps with muscle strength, power and endurance,” says Mullan. That said: “There have been a few contradictory studies on muscles and cramping,” says Mullan. Some indicate benefits, others none at all.
5. Menopause
, a stress hormone. As progesterone levels drop during the menopause, cortisol increases. Magnesium, says Mullan, seems to help to counteract that.
Some also claim that magnesium can help with hot flushes but, says Mullan, “I’ve not seen compelling evidence on that.”
6. Immune system
As well as giving us that “fight or flight” feeling, cortisol also suppresses the immune system, so magnesium has an indirect, positive impact simply by suppressing cortisol release, says Mullan. But there’s more.
such as lymphocytes, and in making the proteins that fight infection in the body, explains Mullan.
optimal immune function and regulating inflammation” and that, under appropriate medical supervision, “enhancing [magnesium] intake could potentially serve as a cost-effective and economically viable strategy for immune regulation and preventing cancer”.
What are the different types of magnesium supplements?
“Some magnesium supplements have a very low bioavailability,” warns Mullan, meaning your body will struggle to absorb and use the magnesium within them. “In particular, magnesium oxide. It’s a laxative, so great if you are blocked up, but it won’t move the dial on your body’s magnesium levels. It’s not a magnesium replenishment supplement.”
Then there’s magnesium citrate, in which magnesium is bound to citric acid. “It has reasonable bioavailability but it also causes pretty significant bowel movements,” says Mullan. “That can actually be helpful if you are reaching for magnesium during the menopause, when constipation rates rise.”
The three big hitters, however, are the following:
- Magnesium bisglycinate
- Magnesium malate
- Magnesium threonate
to try magnesium bisglycinate if you want help relaxing and winding down, or threonate if you are in search of focus and boosted cognition.
is your priority.”
Either way, look for the word “chelated” on the bottle. “Chelated is when you have a mineral ion bound to an organic compound. The chelated supplements tend to be the ones that the body can actually absorb. If you have magnesium plus citric acid, that is a chelation. Magnesium plus glycine, that’s a chelation. Magnesium plus oxide is not,” Mullan says.
How to take magnesium
The NHS recommends that adult men aim to eat 300mg of magnesium a day (you can find this in just over 130g of dark chocolate), and women 270mg (contained in about 100g of almonds). Should you wish to pop a pill instead, supplements are typically taken every day, and you can buy them relatively cheaply over the counter.
B6 and B9, plus calcium, zinc, copper… they all need to be there in decent levels for the effect to be optimal.”
Low on Vitamin D? Taking a magnesium supplement alongside your daily dose of vitamin D makes sense because magnesium helps your body to absorb and use this vitamin, and is good for keeping bones, teeth and muscles in tip-top shape.
Foods with magnesium
by 24 per cent between 1940 and 1991, while the ultra-processing of foods depletes levels still further.
That said, you can still get the magnesium you need from dietary sources. According to Srinivasan, some good sources are:
- Seeds such as pumpkin or chia
- Nuts such as almonds, cashews and peanut
- Peanut butter
- Spinach
- Shredded wheat cereal
And it’s unlikely you’ll consume an excessive amount of magnesium. “Unless you’ve got a kidney disease, the body’s very good at getting rid of excess magnesium if you were to have too much,” says Mullan.
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“It’s not addictive. You don’t become reliant on it so you really don’t have to worry about giving it a shot,” Mullan says.
FAQs
What are the symptoms of magnesium deficiency?
usually obvious, some signs to look out for include fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, and vomiting. Speak to your doctor if you have concerns.
When should I not take magnesium?
If you have kidney disease or are taking other medications – such as heart medications or antibiotics – check with your doctor before using magnesium supplements.
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