What are the Benefits Of Magnesium Supplements? 11 Things You Need To Know!

Introduction

Magnesium is the 4th most abundant mineral in your body. It's present in your muscles, skeletal system, soft tissues, and body fluids. And it plays a major role in over 300 crucial functions of your body. These include mineral absorption, protein formation, regulation of calcium, and more.

However, in most developed countries, about 15%-20% of the population is magnesium deficient. Chances are, you might be too.

Due to this reason, it’s recommended that you consume magnesium supplements to meet your daily nutrient requirements.

Before we get down to different types of magnesium and what are the benefits of magnesium supplements, let’s learn more about what happens if you have a magnesium deficiency.

Many diseases and illnesses are due to the deficiency of magnesium in one way or the other. And as stated earlier, there are high chances that you are also magnesium deficient. But how to know that? 

All you need to do is look out for the following warning signs of magnesium deficiency: 

• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Vomiting 
• Fatigue 
• Muscle Weakness
• High blood pressure
• Insomnia 
• Leg cramps/ involuntary eye twitches 
• In-built Stress 
• Panic Attacks and Anxiety 
• Digestive Issues

But, note that the above-mentioned are the early signs of magnesium deficiency. As the deficiency worsens, you may also experience severe side effects likes: 

• Seizures 
• Abnormal Heart Rhythms 
• Coronary Spasms 
• Numbness 
• Muscle Contractions

Thus, before you end up with a severe problem, it’s a good idea to increase your intake of magnesium.

That said, there are many benefits of magnesium beyond fixing these deficiency-related problems.  In the next section, let’s dive deeper into the benefits of magnesium supplements.

The Benefits Of Magnesium Supplement

As stated earlier, magnesium is crucial for the proper functioning of your body and mind. It helps in numerous enzyme-based reactions in the body. And also in maintaining levels of various other nutrients including glucose. 

But there’s more to this.

Let’s find out what are the benefits of magnesium supplements and why they’re important for you!

1. Boosts Exercise Performance

You need more magnesium during exercise or strenuous physical activities than during rest. This is because it helps to move blood sugar into muscles and in disposing of lactate. Too much lactate in your body can lead to early fatigue during exercises.

Besides, magnesium can help protect you against certain markers of muscle damage.

Further, ample magnesium also helps in increasing the flexibility of muscles.Thus, reducing the chances of injury during a workout.

Consuming less magnesium on a regular basis can impair your energy metabolism and ability to physically work.

2. Magnesium and Depression

Magnesium plays a crucial role in regulating the levels of cortisol. Cortisol is the hormone that is released when you’re under too much stress. In addition, it’s also used for creating thyroid hormones in the body that can keep your mood in check. 

Low levels of Mg can lead to an increase in cortisol levels and leads to lower production of thyroid hormone. Both of these factors can contribute to depression. 

Further, a 6-week random trial on 126 people observed that 248 mg of magnesium/day can decrease the symptoms of depression. This makes the intake of ample magnesium even more imperative.

3. Magnesium and Heart Health

For instance, a study observed that low levels of magnesium can increase the risk of cardiovascular problems. The same study stated that people with congestive heart failure are magnesium deficient.  

Further, increasing your magnesium intake can reduce the possibility of heart strokes. In fact, it was reported that an increase of 100mg of magnesium per day can bring down the chances of stroke by 2%. 

Magnesium also improves numerous heart risk factors LDL or bad cholesterol, triglycerides, and systolic blood pressure.

All of this together points towards the fact that magnesium is vital for your heart. Though there have been studies indicating no correlation between magnesium and heart health. However, more and more studies have stated otherwise.

4. Magnesium For Sleep

A review found that magnesium supplements decreased the time it took to fall asleep by 17 minutes. Another study on 4,000 adults found that increased magnesium intake  improved the quality of their sleep.

Thus, it’s recommended that you meet your daily magnesium requirement by taking proper supplements. Just so you know, Magnesium Glycinate is considered the best magnesium for sleep.

5. Magnesium For Anxiety

Magnesium helps reduce your anxiety in the following two ways: 

• It blocks the activity of many stimulating neurotransmitters in the brain.Instead, it binds to the calming receptors. This results in a more relaxed and restful mental state. 
• It helps in regulating the release of numerous stress hormones like cortisol. And it ensures there’s never too much in your system. 

Other than this, a systematic study observed that low levels of magnesium affect the activity of HPA. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis or HPA is a set of three glands in your brain that controls your reaction to stress. An imbalance in its functioning can lead to the release of excessive stress hormones.

A study conducted on 3,172 adults observed an association between increased magnesium with reduced anxiety. Yet another study stated that low levels of Mg may increase your susceptibility to stress. This will ultimately make you more and more anxious.

Ensure that the magnesium supplement that you take must be rich in magnesium glycinate and taurate. This is because both these types are considered the best magnesium for anxiety.

6. Magnesium and Bone Health

Calcium is generally associated with the overall health of bones. But magnesium also plays a crucial role there. In fact, about 50% of your body’s magnesium is found in your bones.

A study found an adequate amount of magnesium intake to be linked with higher bone density, lower risk of osteoporosis, and enhanced crystal bone formation. Another study observed that those who consumed less magnesium experienced 3 times more fractures than those who had a high intake. Thus, it’s pivotal for you to consume ample amounts of magnesium in order to maintain healthy bones.

This is even more important considering that as you age your bones become weak and brittle. During this time, magnesium offsets the effects of calcium (which calcifies bones). This relaxes your bones and nerves. Magnesium also relaxes various receptors that are hyperstimulated and cause severe pain in joints.

7. Magnesium and Migraine

Some experts believe that people who have a magnesium deficiency are more likely to suffer from migraines. This is because a lack of magnesium can directly affect various neurotransmitters and restrict blood vessel constriction. Both of these factors are directly linked to migraines.

Other than this, several studies have suggested that magnesium-rich supplements can be a potential treatment for migraines. In addition, a systematic review suggested magnesium therapy as a way of treating migraines. The review suggested taking about 600mg of Magnesium Citrate per day. 

So, include supplements that are rich in magnesium and its numerous types.

8. Magnesium and PMS

Premenstrual Syndrome or PMS is a common condition in women of childbearing age. It has a wide range of symptoms like extreme mood swings, untimely food cravings, excessive fatigue, anxiety, water retention, and abdominal cramps.

A study suggests that magnesium supplements with Vitamin B6 can be helpful in alleviating numerous PMS symptoms. This is because, throughout the menstrual cycle, the levels of magnesium fluctuate. Thus, intake of Mg supplements is helpful. In fact, consuming around 250mg of Magnesium every day can help manage PMS symptoms.

However, studies in this field are quite limited. For better understanding, more high-quality research is imperative.

9. Magnesium and Diabetes

Most people who have diabetes are magnesium deficient and that magnesium plays a central role in treating diabetes. This also creates a serious problem when you’re dealing with Insulin resistant PCOS.  

Further, taking ample magnesium can also improve insulin sensitivity.

However, studies and research are highly limited in these areas. More is yet to be known about the implications of low magnesium on diabetes.

10. Magnesium and Anti-inflammatory Effects

A study observed that intake of magnesium supplements leads to a decrease in C-reactive protein or CRP, a marker of inflammation. 

Further studies support the previous findings by stating that low magnesium levels can also influence other markers like interleukin.

11. Magnesium and Memory

New studies have found that magnesium can boost your brain power. It can also improve your learning abilities, retention power, working memory, and short-term and long-term memory. The study also highlights the role of magnesium-based treatments for the purpose of improving memory.

However, there is a lack of in-depth understanding between magnesium and memory, and more studies are required for better clarity.

Now that you know what are the benefits of magnesium supplements, let’s have a look at the different forms of magnesium available for you to consider.

Different types of magnesium

Following are the different types of magnesium supplements, that are helpful for your body in one way or the other.

1. Magnesium Taurate

Magnesium Taurate is the type of magnesium that is known to be good for your heart. A study observed that the complex formed by Magnesium Taurate has cardiovascular-protective properties. In addition, it also supports the healthy functioning of your brain and helps in maintaining calcium levels that are beneficial for neurotransmitters.

2. Magnesium Orotate

This form of magnesium is good for your heart as it helps in protecting cells situated near it. But Magnesium Orotate is also considered to be the best for improving your metabolism. For this reason, it is one of the favorite supplements of athletes.

3. Magnesium Citrate

Magnesium Citrate is a rich source of magnesium ions that are required in various functions throughout your body. It helps in regulating stool and causes the release of intestine water. In addition, Mg Citrate is also used to prevent arrhythmia.

4. Magnesium Chelate

The chelated form of magnesium is highly recommended because it’s easily absorbed by the body. Thus, it helps you easily meet the daily requirement of magnesium. It plays a vital role in muscle building, recovery, and overall maintenance.

5. Magnesium Bisglycinate

Magnesium Bisglycinate is mainly used for the purpose of boosting your magnesium levels. This is because, just like Mg Chelate, it’s easily absorbed by the body. It helps in relieving anxiety, reducing symptoms of PMS, and amplifying athletic performance. In addition, it is also used to treat the various symptoms of excess stomach acid.

6. Magnesium Malate

This form is a combination of magnesium and malic acid. It’s known for calming mood, managing blood glucose levels, boosting athletic performance, and soothing chronic pain. In addition, it can also help you with migraine headaches.

7. Magnesium Sucrosomial

Mg Sucrosomial is easily absorbed by the body without causing any kind of side effects. It is known for effectively enhancing energy levels and supporting your immune system. Further, it is also crucial for the development of the skeletal system and bone health.

All these types of magnesium together ensure optimal functioning of your body. But even if you rely on an exogenous magnesium supplement, there are chances that you’re deficient in either one or more than one of these forms. This is because almost all the magnesium supplements out there consist of ONLY 1-2 of these magnesium types.

This is why you need a supplement that consists of these 7 major magnesium types in the right ratio. More on this in the next section.

Picking the Right Magnesium Supplement

Choosing the right kind of magnesium supplement from the many options in the market can be tricky. Because you need to consider proper types of magnesium and the right dosages.

Not doing so and blindly opting for some ‘popular’ supplement can lead to you completely wasting your money, or worse - causing potentially severe side effects.

Criteria

When you choose a magnesium supplement there are two things that you need to consider:

• Absorbability or Bioavailability: the rate at which a compound is absorbed into the body. If a compound has low bioavailability, then it will be eliminated from your body.  
• Tolerability: this is how well your body can keep with a compound without showing any adverse effects. 

These two criteria help you to know if a magnesium supplement containing a certain kind (or two) of magnesium(s) type is the right choice.

So, where do the 7 types of magnesium stand? Let’s have a look.

Picking any of the 7 Types of Magnesium Supplement would help you fight against deficiencies and provide benefits to your health.

But wouldn’t it be great if there was a supplement that’s rich in ALL 7 Magnesium forms and in the right ratio?

Luckily, THERE IS! 

Magnesium Breakthrough

Magnesium Breakthrough is the single most potent, holistic, and high-performing magnesium formula ever created. 

It contains ALL 7 of the Best Types of Magnesium in the perfect blend. This lets you get the benefits of all of them without having to settle on just 1-2 forms. Plus, it also provides you with almost all the benefits we’ve covered in this what are the benefits of magnesium supplements guide! 

It contains the exact ratio of magnesium that you need without leading to any side effects whether mild or severe.

Pro-tip: Whatever supplement you consider, always check the amount of elemental magnesium that it provides with each serving. For example, a supplement with 1,000 mg of its magnesium compound may only contain 50mg of magnesium. Be sure to check the nutrition label.

Now you know what are the benefits of magnesium supplements of different types and how to pick the right product. Let’s learn about how much magnesium you should take in a day.

Daily Recommended Intake of Magnesium

Recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for magnesium vary on the basis of age and sex. RDA is the average daily intake of any given nutrient or mineral that sufficiently meets the requirement of a healthy individual. 

The following table represents the RDA for magnesium or recommended intake of magnesium, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS).

Following a diet like the keto diet further lowers the magnesium levels in your body. In such a case, you may need to consider slightly higher doses.

Other than these dosages of magnesium, you also need to remember that the Upper Intake Level (UL) for magnesium is 350 mg from supplements (in any form). This is the maximum amount that is unlikely to cause you any harm or lead to any side effects.

If you’re opting for Magnesium Breakthrough, avoid having a large dose from the very start. Start with just 1 capsule of Magnesium Breakthrough for 1-2 Weeks. Then you can increase it to 2 capsules after that. If you’re severely deficient in magnesium, you might need to consider higher doses.

You need to continue with the dosage until there is an ample amount of magnesium in your body. And then, all you have to do is maintain its levels. Remember, in case of any problems or even doubts, it’s best that you reach out to a healthcare professional. 

No supplement guide is complete without a clear note on what happens if you go overboard.  In the next section, let’s find out what happens if you end up having a magnesium overdose.

Magnesium Overdose

With that, let’s wrap up!

Now you know what are the benefits of magnesium supplements and how they can affect the quality of your life. Remember, magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body. And it’s as important as protein, carbohydrates, fat, and any other nutrients or minerals.

Thus, it’s crucial that you consume a diet rich in magnesium and also back it with the right kind of supplement for extra measure.