Magnesium: All facts about the mineral for your muscles, nervous system and energy metabolism
Magnesium can be described as the king of minerals. It is a vital (essential) mineral for humans. Magnesium plays a crucial role in your performance and regeneration. A deficiency can have a strong impact on your well-being in the long term. Find out more in this article and learn how you can increase your well-being and performance with magnesium.
What is magnesium?
Magnesium is a chemical element with the element symbol Mg. Since the mineral has great chemical reactivity, it only occurs in nature in bound form, for example as magnesite, dolomite, kieserite, magnesium chloride and magnesium bromide.
In fact, magnesium is an essential mineral that the body relies on. Because: Magnesium is involved in energy metabolism, muscle and nerve function.
Why is magnesium so important to you
Magnesium is the most common mineral in the human body and in addition to sodium, potassium and calcium, a vital electrolyte for many of your vital metabolic processes.
Approximately half of the magnesium is in the bones, the other half is mostly distributed in the cells (muscles) and organs of body tissue.
Your cellular energy production processes are made up of many magnesium-dependent enzymatic reactions. In fact, dysregulation of magnesium homeostasis is implicated in various cellular dysfunctions and diseases. (see study [1]).
Adenosintriphosphat (ATP) is the main energy source of cells. Here, ATP binds to magnesium ions to form a biologically functional form. Without magnesium, this vital energy metabolism would not be possible.
In addition to the important energy metabolism, magnesium has other important functions in protein synthesis, growth and reproduction of cells. Especially all those who have a high level of nervous stress in their everyday life therefore swear by this mineral.
The essentials in brief:
- Magnesium is a component of various enzyme systems and is therefore essential for life.
- Magnesium is the building block for the energy production of your cells.
- A deficiency can lead to muscle cramps, fatigue and a drop in performance.
Your daily magnesium requirement: dosage and intake
The daily amount of dosage is very individual and depends on age, gender, health and lifestyle.
It is important to know that we lose magnesium, like many other minerals, through our sweat. This means that anyone who sweats a lot needs more magnesium accordingly.
In general, a daily amount of 300 to 400 mg magnesium per day is sufficient. (Assessment by the European Food Safety Authority [2])
Dietary supplements containing magnesium are often overdosed, which can lead to undesirable effects. These include primarily digestive problems, since magnesium is absorbed in the intestine. So, overdosing can affect your digestion.
Our tip: Beyond Recovery with 300 mg magnesium for an optimal daily supplement.
Magnesium-rich foods for your diet
Mineral water is an important source of magnesium for you. So make sure you drink enough every day. In addition to water, nuts, seeds and unprocessed vegetables are particularly rich in magnesium.
We recommend a diet with lots of vegetables and whole grain products.
The magnesium content in unprocessed foods is often much higher than in prepared foods. Significant amounts of important magnesium can be lost as food spreads.
The following foods containing magnesium should be part of your diet:
- whole grain products
- seeds and nuts
- Avocados
- Dark (dark) chocolate
- Bananas (they also provide important potassium)
So make sure you eat a balanced diet and increase your intake of the foods listed above to keep your health robust and your body performing.
The consequences of a persistent magnesium deficiency?
Because serum magnesium does not reflect intracellular magnesium, the latter accounting for more than 99% of total body magnesium, most cases of magnesium deficiency go undiagnosed.
Additionally, the vast majority of the population in modern society is at risk of magnesium deficiency due to chronic diseases, medications, depletion of magnesium in foods, and availability of refined and processed foods.
About 20% of the general population has low serum magnesium levels. (see study [3])
The following of a persistent magnesium deficiency can vary widely, the most well-known symptoms include the following:
- disorientation
- Hyperreflexie
- Tinnitus
- tremors and dizziness
- irritability
- muscle weakness
- Neuromuscular irritability
The serious consequences include:
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Suppressed immune response
- heart failure
With a high-quality dietary supplements like ours Beyond Recovery you can counteract magnesium deficiency.
Magnesium as a booster for your cells and muscles
Minerals such as magnesium are essential for a variety of metabolic processes in the body.
Magnesium supports muscle contraction, normal heart rhythm, your nervous system, the oxygen transport, enzyme activation and prevents tiredness. For high performance, you should make sure you have a sufficient amount of minerals. Especially athletes and people who are exposed to physical and mental challenges should consume an adequate amount of magnesium and other minerals through a balanced diet.
Studies have examined the effects of magnesium on performance enhancement. Magnesium cannot increase your performance in this sense, but is necessary, to keep your performance at an optimal level for your body (see the study [4]).
Conclusion
Magnesium is an essential mineral. A deficiency is more common due to a poor diet and lifestyle and should be avoided at all costs. Magnesium is important for regeneration and supports normal protein synthesis, the nervous system and energy metabolism. So pay attention to a balanced diet and a diet rich in magnesium, so that you can access your full potential in every situation.
Sources
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4960558/
[2] Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for magnesium
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5786912/
[4] https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-2-1-43
