Magnesium; a mineral that a lot of people know, but few people know exactly what magnesium does to your body.
A magnesium deficiency can lead to severe symptoms, such as muscle and nerve disorders. Fortunately, magnesium is in foods that you probably eat every day. Magnesium can also be taken as a supplement, often in the form of a pill.
In this article, we will teach you all about magnesium and in particular, we will discuss what magnesium is good for.
Table of Contents
- What is magnesium?
- Which products contain magnesium?
- How much magnesium do you need?
- What is magnesium good for?
- How to recognize a magnesium deficiency?
- How to choose a magnesium supplement?
What is magnesium?
As we mentioned in the introduction, magnesium is a mineral that your body needs for many processes that take place in your body.
Much of the magnesium reserve you have in your body is stored in your bones.
Magnesium is found in many foods, we will discuss the foods that contain a lot of magnesium in detail in a moment.
You must get enough magnesium through your diet because your body cannot produce magnesium itself.
If you want to know how you can improve your nutrition click here.
Which products contain magnesium?
Magnesium is found in many different foods, it is found in whole-wheat products, vegetables, nuts, milk (and dairy products), and meat.
Below are 10 examples of magnesium-rich foods:
| Food | Amount of magnesium (mg) per 100 grams |
| Dark chocolate | 100 |
| Cashew nuts | 140 |
| Oatmeal | 120 |
| Peanut butter | 160 |
| Whole wheat spaghetti | 100 |
| Spinach | 45 |
| Broad beans | 20 |
| Sun-dried tomatoes | 80 |
| Chia seeds | 330 |
| Pumpkin seeds | 160 |
How much magnesium do you need?
The tricky part in determining how much magnesium you need per day is the fact that you do not absorb all the magnesium from your diet.
You absorb between 30 and 80 percent of the magnesium that you ingest through your diet.
Several factors determine which part of the spectrum you fall into. This is also different per meal.
For a healthy functioning of your body, this is the amount you should ingest per day:
- Mature man : 350 milligrams (mg)
- Mature woman: 300 milligrams (mg)
In almost all cases this will be enough for your body.
However, there are several situations where your body could use a little more magnesium:
- During pregnancy or breastfeeding
- If you have a chronic bowel disease
- After a strenuous exercise
What is magnesium good for?
Below we list 8 things magnesium is good for:
- The bones -> Magnesium contributes to the maintenance of strong bones. Your bones need enough calcium to stay strong, magnesium promotes the absorption of calcium from the bloodstream.
- The teeth -> Magnesium also contributes to the maintenance of strong teeth. The mechanism is the same as with the bones.
- Tiredness -> Magnesium can reduce a lack of energy. Several processes in the body that are stimulated by magnesium ensure this.
- The muscles -> Magnesium promotes the functioning of the muscles. Many athletes benefit a lot from magnesium, because it reduces the chance of getting cramps.
- The protein synthesis -> Magnesium contributes positively to protein synthesis in your body. The protein synthesis simply means the build up of protein.
- Psychological function -> Magnesium contributes to various psychological functions. Including the learning process and memorization process.
- The nervous system -> Magnesium is important for a properly functioning nervous system.
- The cell division process -> Magnesium contributes to the normal course of cell division. Cell divison takes place continuously in your body and it is very important that this goes well.
How to recognize a magnesium deficiency?
Recognizing a magnesium deficiency is very difficult. The symptoms generally do not point to a magnesium deficiency.
Below we give several symptoms that may indicate a magnesium deficiency:
- Muscle weakness
- Muscle cramps
- Tremble
- Convulsion
- Increased irritability
- Depression
- Psychosis
How to choose a magnesium supplement?
If you think you can’t get enough magnesium from your diet, it can be useful to purchase a magnesium supplement.
A question that people often ask is ‘what should I pay attention to when purchasing a magnesium supplement?’.
The most important thing to consider is the type of compound of the supplement.
The supplement may contain magnesium with organic compounds or inorganic compounds.
The organic compounds your body can split much better than the inorganic ones. This makes magnesium with organic compounds more absorbable for your body.
So always choose a magnesium supplement with organic compounds!
Lifestyle coach [5+ years of fitness experience]