It’s essential for a lot of capabilities in your physique, together with power metabolism and protein synthesis. It additionally contributes to correct mind operate, bone well being, and coronary heart and muscle exercise (1).
Magnesium is discovered naturally in meals like nuts, leafy inexperienced greens, and milk merchandise (2).
Supplementing with this important nutrient has been linked to many advantages, together with constipation aid and improved blood sugar regulation and sleep.
This text critiques several types of magnesium dietary supplements and decide the perfect every day dosage to your wants.
Really useful every day quantities
Magnesium is crucial for sustaining correct well being.
Nonetheless, low magnesium consumption is comparatively frequent.
It’s primarily present in individuals who observe a typical Western weight loss plan, which comprises processed meals and refined grains and might lack meals like leafy inexperienced greens and legumes, which offer magnesium and different essential vitamins (3, 4).
The desk beneath reveals the really useful every day allowance (RDA) or sufficient consumption (AI) of magnesium for adults, infants, and youngsters (2).
Varieties of magnesium dietary supplements
Many types of magnesium dietary supplements can be found.
Crucial factor to contemplate earlier than deciding on a complement is its absorption price, or how properly the complement is absorbed by your physique.
Listed here are temporary descriptions of the commonest magnesium dietary supplements.
Magnesium gluconate
Magnesium gluconate comes from the magnesium salt of gluconic acid. In rats, it has been proven to have the best absorption price amongst different sorts of magnesium dietary supplements (8).
Magnesium oxide
Magnesium oxide has the best quantity of elemental, or precise, magnesium per weight. Nonetheless, it’s poorly absorbed. Research have discovered that magnesium oxide is actually insoluble in water, making absorption charges low (9, 10).
Magnesium citrate
In magnesium citrate, magnesium in salt kind is mixed with citric acid. Magnesium citrate is absorbed comparatively properly by the physique and has excessive solubility in water, which means it mixes properly with liquid (10).
Magnesium citrate is present in capsule kind and generally used as a saline laxative earlier than a colonoscopy or main surgical procedure.
Magnesium chloride
Like magnesium gluconate and citrate, magnesium chloride has been noticed to be properly absorbed by the physique (2).
It’s additionally obtainable as an oil that may be utilized topically, however additional research are wanted to completely perceive how properly magnesium on this kind is absorbed via the pores and skin (11).
Magnesium hydroxide
Magnesium hydroxide, also called milk of magnesia, is usually used as a laxative to deal with constipation and in some antacids to deal with heartburn (2, 12).
Magnesium aspartate
Magnesium aspartate is one other frequent magnesium complement that’s extremely absorbable by the human physique (13, 14).
Magnesium glycinate
Magnesium glycinate has been proven to have a comparatively good absorption price with much less of a laxative impact.
That is seemingly as a result of it’s absorbed in a special space of your gut, in contrast with many different types of magnesium dietary supplements (15).
Dosage for constipation
Whether or not you battle with acute or continual constipation, it may be uncomfortable.
Magnesium citrate and magnesium hydroxide are two magnesium compounds generally used to advertise bowel actions (16).
Magnesium hydroxide, or milk of magnesia, works as a laxative by pulling water into your intestines, which helps soften your stool and ease its passage.
The really useful dose is dependent upon the product. All the time observe the dosage directions (17).
Exceeding the really useful consumption might trigger watery diarrhea or electrolyte imbalances.
As a consequence of its laxative impact, milk of magnesia is usually used to deal with acute constipation and never often really useful for continual circumstances.
Magnesium citrate is one other magnesium complement used to deal with constipation.
It’s higher absorbed and has a gentler laxative impact than magnesium hydroxide (18).
The usual dose for magnesium citrate is 240 ml per day, which will be blended with water and brought orally.
Dosage for sleep
Satisfactory magnesium ranges are essential for a very good night time’s sleep. Magnesium may help your thoughts loosen up and your physique obtain deep, restorative sleep.
In actual fact, research in rats have proven that suboptimal magnesium ranges led to poor sleep high quality (19).
Presently, a restricted variety of research have studied the consequences of magnesium dietary supplements on sleep high quality, making it tough to suggest a selected every day dose.
Nonetheless, in a single research, older adults who acquired 414 mg of magnesium oxide twice every day (500 mg of magnesium per day) had higher sleep high quality, in contrast with adults who acquired a placebo (20).
Dosage for blood sugar regulation – “how much magnesium citrate should i take”
Individuals with diabetes could also be extra prone to have low magnesium ranges (21, 22).
Excessive blood sugar ranges can improve magnesium loss via urine, inflicting low magnesium ranges in your blood.
Research have proven that magnesium dietary supplements might assist regulate blood sugar by managing insulin motion (23).
Insulin is a hormone that helps management blood sugar ranges by signaling your cells to soak up sugar out of your blood.
One research discovered that supplementing with 2,500 mg of magnesium in a magnesium chloride resolution every day improved insulin sensitivity and fasting blood sugar ranges in individuals with kind 2 diabetes and low magnesium ranges at baseline (24).
Nonetheless, one other research discovered that individuals who acquired a every day complete of 20.7 mmol of magnesium oxide every day confirmed no enhancements in blood glucose regulation.
That stated, those that acquired the next dosage of magnesium oxide (41.4 mmol every day) confirmed a lower in fructosamine, a median measurement of an individual’s blood sugar over about 2–3 weeks (25).
The researchers concluded that extended magnesium supplementation at larger than common doses may benefit blood glucose management, however additional research are wanted (25).
Dosage for lowering muscle cramps
Many situations could cause muscle cramps.
Since magnesium is essential to muscle operate, a deficiency might trigger painful muscle contractions.
Magnesium dietary supplements are sometimes marketed to forestall or enhance muscle cramping.
Although analysis on magnesium dietary supplements for muscle cramping is blended, one research discovered that members who acquired 300 mg of magnesium every day for six weeks reported fewer muscle cramps, in contrast with those that acquired a placebo (26).
One other research famous the flexibility of magnesium dietary supplements to scale back the frequency of leg cramps throughout being pregnant. Girls who took 300 mg of magnesium every day skilled much less frequent and fewer intense leg cramps, in contrast with ladies who took a placebo (27).
Dosage for despair
Research have proven that magnesium deficiency might improve your threat of despair (28).
In actual fact, taking a magnesium complement might enhance depressive signs in some individuals.
One research discovered that taking 248 mg of magnesium chloride improved depressive signs in these with gentle to average despair (29).
Furthermore, one other research discovered that taking 450 mg of magnesium chloride was as efficient as an antidepressant at enhancing depressive signs (30).
Whereas magnesium dietary supplements might enhance despair in these with magnesium deficiency, additional analysis is required to know if they will alleviate despair in these with regular magnesium ranges.