We embody merchandise we predict are helpful for our readers. Should you purchase via hyperlinks on this web page, we could earn a small fee. Right here’s our course of.
Magnesium is a mineral important for the right functioning of your physique.
Your physique can’t make it, so you want to acquire it out of your weight-reduction plan.
To get sufficient of this important nutrient, it’s beneficial that women and men get 400–420 mg and 320–360 mg per day, respectively and relying on age (1).
You possibly can obtain this by consuming magnesium-rich meals or by taking dietary supplements.
This text appears to be like at the advantages, unwanted effects, and beneficial dosages of magnesium dietary supplements.
What Is Magnesium?
Magnesium is the fourth most considerable mineral in your physique, and your physique can’t work correctly with out it (2).
The nutrient is important for a whole lot of metabolic processes and lots of different vital bodily features — from producing vitality to constructing vital proteins like your DNA (3).
Dietary sources of magnesium embody legumes, nuts, seeds, and inexperienced leafy greens. Smaller quantities are present in meat and fish.
Nonetheless, regardless of its significance, research present that nearly 50% of individuals in Western international locations in Europe and america don’t get sufficient of this important mineral (2, 4).
Furthermore, low ranges of magnesium are linked to plenty of well being situations, similar to sort 2 diabetes, coronary heart illness, and Alzheimer’s (2).
Well being Advantages
Getting sufficient magnesium is vital for protecting your physique functioning optimally.
Although it’s attainable to get ample quantities of this mineral out of your weight-reduction plan, taking a complement could also be useful in case you battle to fulfill your wants via meals or in case you’re poor.
Taking a magnesium complement and correcting a deficiency has been linked to well being advantages. These embody a decrease danger of situations like coronary heart illness and improved blood stress, temper, and blood sugar management.
Can Cut back Blood Stress
Taking magnesium dietary supplements could assist scale back blood stress ranges (5).
Research present that folks with hypertension could expertise enhancements when supplementing with this mineral (6, 7).
The truth is, one evaluation of twenty-two research discovered that supplementing with a median of 410 mg of magnesium each day was related to a 3–4 mm Hg drop in systolic blood stress (the highest quantity) and a 2–3 mm Hg drop in diastolic blood stress (the underside quantity) (8).
Equally, a latest evaluation of 34 research concluded that taking round 350 mg per day of magnesium for a median of three months considerably diminished systolic blood stress by 2.00 mm Hg and diastolic blood stress by 1.78 mm Hg (9).
Might Enhance Temper
Some research hyperlink low ranges of magnesium with melancholy, which has led researchers to wonder if supplementing with this mineral might assist deal with this situation (10).
One 12-week randomized managed trial in older adults with sort 2 diabetes, magnesium deficiency, and melancholy discovered that 450 mg of magnesium each day was as efficient as a 50 mg dose of the antidepressant Imipramine at enhancing depressive signs (11).
One other 6-week examine in 126 individuals with gentle or reasonable melancholy noticed that those that took 248 mg per day of the mineral, alongside their regular therapy, reported a big enchancment in melancholy scores (12).
Nonetheless, these research weren’t blinded, which means that the members knew that they acquired the mineral, which might skew the outcomes.
In the end, bigger and longer research on this space are wanted.
Might Profit Blood Sugar Management
Magnesium performs an important position in insulin and glucose metabolism. Many individuals with sort 2 diabetes — a situation impacting blood sugar management — are poor on this nutrient (2).
Partially, it is because excessive blood sugar or insulin ranges can improve how a lot of this nutrient you lose via your urine (13).
It’s been recommended that taking magnesium dietary supplements could enhance insulin resistance, a metabolic downside by which your cells don’t reply to insulin.
Insulin is a vital hormone that helps regulate your blood sugar ranges. Thus, enhancing insulin resistance can promote higher blood sugar management — particularly in individuals with diabetes.
In a 3-month examine, individuals with sort 2 diabetes who took 300 mg per day of magnesium skilled important reductions in fasting and post-meal blood sugar ranges in comparison with the placebo group (14).
Moreover, a evaluation discovered that taking magnesium dietary supplements for greater than 4 months had a helpful impact on insulin sensitivity and blood sugar management (15).
Although extra analysis is required, magnesium dietary supplements appear to be efficient at serving to management blood sugar in individuals with sort 2 diabetes (13).
Might Cut back Coronary heart Illness Danger
Low ranges of magnesium have been linked to an elevated danger of coronary heart illness (16, 17).
This can be as a result of low ranges of this mineral negatively have an effect on danger components for coronary heart illness like blood sugar management and blood stress (17).
A latest evaluation of 28 research concluded that magnesium dietary supplements positively affected some coronary heart illness danger components in individuals with sort 2 diabetes by reducing blood stress, levels of cholesterol, and fasting blood sugar (18).
Which means taking magnesium dietary supplements could assist scale back coronary heart illness danger components, particularly in people who find themselves poor (19).
Whereas these outcomes are promising, extra research on this space are wanted.
Might Enhance Migraine
Low ranges of magnesium have been linked to migraine, a situation characterised by intense, recurring complications (20).
One 12-week examine discovered that folks with migraine who took a each day complement containing 600 mg of magnesium skilled 42% fewer migraine assaults, and the assaults have been much less intense (21).
One other evaluation of 5 research confirmed that treating migraine with 600 mg of magnesium — a high-level dose — was protected and efficient (22).
Nonetheless, extra research are wanted earlier than agency dosage suggestions could be made for treating migraine.
Aspect Results and Dangers
Although magnesium dietary supplements are typically thought-about protected, you need to test along with your healthcare supplier earlier than taking them — particularly when you have a medical situation.
The mineral complement could also be unsafe for individuals who take sure diuretics, coronary heart medicines, or antibiotics (1).
Most individuals who take magnesium dietary supplements don’t expertise unwanted effects, however it might trigger intestine associated points, similar to diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting — particularly in massive doses (20).
It’s vital to notice that folks with kidney points are at the next danger of experiencing adversarial results associated to those dietary supplements (23).
Moreover, proof to recommend that magnesium dietary supplements profit people who find themselves not poor is inadequate.
How A lot Magnesium Ought to You Take?
A weight-reduction plan excessive in magnesium consists of wholesome entire meals like entire grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes.
Although it’s attainable to get the each day beneficial quantity of the mineral — 400–420 mg for males and 320–360 mg for ladies — via weight-reduction plan alone, most fashionable diets are low in magnesium-rich meals.
Should you can’t get sufficient magnesium via your weight-reduction plan and if it’s protected for you to take action, you could wish to take a complement.
How A lot Ought to You Take?
Really useful doses of magnesium dietary supplements are 200–400 mg per day, relying on the model.
Which means a complement can offer you 100% or extra of the reference each day consumption (RDI).
The Meals and Diet Board of the Institute of Medication in america has set an higher tolerable restrict of 350 mg per day for supplemental magnesium — beneath which you might be unlikely to expertise any digestive unwanted effects (1, 23).
Should you’re poor, you could want the next dose, however you need to test along with your healthcare supplier earlier than taking massive doses of magnesium that exceed the RDI.
Which Sort Ought to You Select?
Magnesium dietary supplements are available a wide range of varieties, a few of which your physique can take in higher than others.
Varieties of this mineral which are higher absorbed embody (23, 24):
Nonetheless, different components — similar to your genes and whether or not you have got a deficiency — may additionally affect absorption (20).
Moreover, whereas many research present that sure kinds of magnesium dietary supplements are extra absorbable than others, some research discover no distinction between the varied formulations (25).
When searching for a magnesium complement, select manufacturers with a U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) mark, which signifies that the complement has been examined for efficiency and contaminants.
The Backside Line – “magnesium dosage”
The mineral magnesium is important for protecting your physique functioning optimally.
Dietary sources of magnesium embody nuts, leafy greens, legumes, and seeds
Enough magnesium consumption has been linked to a diminished danger of coronary heart illness, sort 2 diabetes, and different situations.
Taking a complement will help you meet your each day wants in case you don’t get sufficient of this vital nutrient from meals alone. Uncomfortable side effects are unlikely at doses beneath 350 mg per day.
Should you’re concerned with attempting a complement, communicate to your healthcare supplier first and select a product that has been examined by a 3rd get together, similar to U.S. Pharmacopeia.
Magnesium is broadly obtainable at well being shops and on-line.