If you have ever shopped for supplements, chances are that you have spotted magnesium from a distance. Before you ignore the mineral for the 1000th time, you should know that it can help unleash your fitness game.

The Basics

In addition to being a chemical element, magnesium is an essential mineral for many organisms. It is critical to numerous internal processes, ranging from enzyme activity and nucleic acid (DNA & RNA) stabilization to stimulating ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate): the primary energy source for cells. I hope this jog to biology 101 has been pleasant for you.

Despite its importance, magnesium deficiency (hypomagnesia) is common among developed nations. In the US alone, only 43 % of the population meets the USDA’s intake for the mineral. Respectable quantities of magnesium can be found in green vegetables, nuts, seeds, and certain grains. However, that actual amount that is extracted and absorbed is generally insufficient for the body. A useful strategy to combat hypomagnesia is consuming magnesium supplements, which may also be beneficial for your body-sculpting needs.

It’s a Double, Triple Whammy

Something that you may or may not know is that under intense exercise your body undergoes periods of vasodilation and vasoconstriction, which are just fancy words for the expanding and narrowing of the blood vessels. Vasoconstriction directs greater concentration of blood to active regions (i.e. working muscles) and away from inactive tissues. Vasodilation opens the veins to allow for more oxygenated blood to flow to your skeletal muscles.

Magnesium has strong vasodilator capabilities and can assist in greater blood transportation during your training. This can be invaluable for those that suffer from chronic sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation not only lowers your natural magnesium levels but elevates norepinephrine, a hormone that when excessively produced leads to vasoconstriction-vasodilation imbalances. In 1998, Japanese researchers (read here) demonstrated that magnesium supplementation hinders exercise fatigue caused by chronic sleep deprivation. While we (and practically everyone else in the world) advocate that you get as much sleep as you can, magnesium may offset the negative effects of restless nights.

This essential mineral may also be a key ingredient for halting chronic inflammation. For the record, inflammation in small squirts is normal (particularly when doing a new workout regime or activity). It is a problem when the inflammation is continuous and physical recovery is inadequate or non-existent. Scientists in the UK wanted to test whether magnesium supplementation affected post-exercise inflammation in rugby players (read here). The experimental group was given 500mg of magnesium daily for 4 weeks prior to their match. The players’ blood was collected and examined one day before their rugby match, the day of the match, and several days after their competition.

What did they find?

The players provided magnesium had lower levels  of IL-6 (interleukin 6), a protein associated with inflammatory response following physical exercise. And compared to their placebo counterparts, the experimental group experienced noticeable reduction in the Neutrophils-Lymphocyte ratio: a ratio associated with systematic inflammation that increases under continued physical exertion.

TL:DR – Magnesium can reduce the onset of body-level inflammation following intense activity.  

Now keep in mind that this only one study and I personally would want to see follow-ups to confirm the inflammatory potency of magnesium for those who regularly exercise. Multiple studies however have confirmed that magnesium supplementation benefits insulin sensitivity. Not only does improved insulin sensitivity reduce the onset of diabetes but it is important for managing healthy fat loss.

What to Look For in Magnesium Supplements

If you wish to add magnesium to your supplement stack, here are some considerations:

• You should strive to consume between 200-400mg of magnesium daily, although this may also depend on your health. As I mentioned earlier, you can obtain magnesium from food sources such as green vegetables and nuts. The remainder can be derived from oral magnesium dosages.

• There are 10+ varieties of magnesium supplements (categorized into salts and chelates), including magnesium citrate, magnesium oxide, magnesium chloride, magnesium gluconate, and magnesium hydroxide. The main differences between each form are the amount of magnesium within the supplement and how much magnesium in the supplement is absorbed in the body (i.e. bioavailability).

• Chelated magnesium supplements are bound to amino acids, making them easier to be transported and absorbed in the body. We recommend that you choose chelates over salts. It should be noted tha magnesium salts tend to have laxative properties :-).    

• Bioavailability trumps magnesium abundance. For example, while magnesium oxide/oxalate contains the greatest quantity of the essential element, it has one of the lowest absorption rates.

• Magnesium citrate and magnesium gluconate have the highest level of bioavailability and are chelated. However, if citrate and gluconate cause digestive trouble, you can use magnesium glycinate which also has good bioavailability but is absorbed in a different location of the intestines.

• There is some evidence (read here) that suggests that magnesium in tablet form is better absorbed than in capsule form, so that is something else to consider when shopping.

• Unlike ZMA (which we will cover later this year), magnesium can be taken with foods/supplements made of calcium. However, high dosages of Zinc (142mg) can disrupt magnesium absorption.

Bottom Line: Up your magnesium levels for your fitness and overall health.

Thanks you again for visiting deals4delts and reading our articles. If you have any questions or requests for supplements that you want us to review, let us know in the comments.