Can Magnesium Improve Your Fitness Performance?
We look into the benefits provided by this popular supplement and if you should be taking it.
If you’ve been browsing TikTok lately then you’ve probably seen the trendy “Sleepy Girl Mocktail". The reason for its popularity is that the mocktail, which consists of tart cherry juice, sparkling water and magnesium powder, claims to be an effective sleep aid thanks to the melatonin found in cherries and magnesium’s ability to relax your nervous system. Magnesium is a mineral that helps support your immune system, keeps your bones, muscles and heart healthy, and produces energy from the food you eat. It also has benefits that can improve your physical activity, especially if you have certain fitness goals you’d like to achieve.
We spoke to sports dietitians to find out why magnesium is so coveted by athletes and other active individuals. Here is the lowdown on this popular mineral and what to look out for when taking it.
Why you should take magnesium
Destini Moody, a sports dietitian and founder of The Athlete's Dietitian, says magnesium offers a broad range of health benefits. “Magnesium can help heart health by reducing blood pressure and overall markers of heart disease risk,” she explains. Moody added; “It can also help improve sleep quality in those who have low magnesium levels, and has been shown to help improve mood, blood sugar control, be a potential treatment for depression, and even help improve migraines.”
If you’re trying to improve your physical fitness, magnesium has a few benefits. Moody says magnesium helps your metabolism turn food into energy, regulates blood pressure and blood sugar, helps to make new proteins and plays a role in nerve and muscle function. “Studies have shown it [magnesium] can help support fitness performance with some studies showing that increased magnesium intake can lead to more muscle mass and strength,” she explains.
Endurance athletes may also benefit from magnesium as it has been found to aid in muscle recovery and reduce muscle damage that naturally comes from intense exercise. Moody points out there are some indiscretions with these findings to keep in mind. “Many of these studies were done in subjects who were not receiving adequate magnesium from their food and there is no consistent evidence that shows magnesium supplementation improves fitness performance or body composition when diet is adequate,” she explains. So although it isn’t definitively proven that magnesium will help your muscles recover, it’s still important to have enough magnesium-rich foods in your diet.
How to take magnesium
There are magnesium-packed foods and supplements you can add to your diet at your convenience. Foods you can eat more of include spinach, almonds, avocados, dark chocolate, whole grains and legumes, to name a few. If you have a magnesium deficiency, symptoms may be subtle at first until they become severe. ”Symptoms you may experience are fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and cramps, weakness and spasms of the muscles,” describes Moody. On the other hand, signs you may be taking too much magnesium can present as low blood pressure, redness and heat in the face, inability to urinate, constipation, depression and extreme fatigue. Moody reassures that toxicity most commonly occurs from magnesium supplements rather than dietary intake.
Moody explains that the guidelines for adults are 310 to 420 mg of magnesium per day to prevent deficiency. “Luckily, most foods that fit into a high-quality diet contain enough of this mineral to help us meet the recommendations without supplements,” she says. If you take a supplement version of magnesium for fitness performance purposes, it’s recommended that you opt for magnesium citrate. Moody says, “this version is likely the best form of magnesium to take as science shows it is the most well-absorbed by the body.”
Other types of magnesium, such as magnesium chloride, oxide, lactate, aspartate, malate, glycinate and taurate, are also options. Moody says most of these forms are used for depression and heart health treatment and some can have worse side effects than magnesium citrate. Abby Grimm, a registered dietitian at FWDfuel Sports Nutrition recommends magnesium citrate to relieve constipation, and magnesium glycinate for better sleep.
If you choose to take magnesium in the form of a supplement, you can find it as a capsule, powder or liquid form. Grimm says the type that's best for you will depend on your preferences, convenience, absorption rates, digestive capacity and health needs. “If you're using magnesium to improve sleep, it's best taken at night, but if you're looking for morning bowel regularity, taking it in the morning would be helpful,” she says. Keep in mind that a high dose (over 350 mg) of a magnesium supplement can lead to diarrhea, nausea and cramping in some people. If you take the supplement it’s best to follow the recommended serving and have it with food to avoid any stomach upset.
Who should be cautious taking magnesium
As with any supplement, you should first check with your doctor before changing your diet. If you are taking diuretics, heart medications or antibiotics, you should avoid taking magnesium to prevent any negative interactions with the drugs. Additionally, if you have kidney issues, it’s best to avoid magnesium supplements as they can cause overaccumulation of magnesium in the bloodstream.
Although magnesium won’t magically improve your fitness performance overnight, it’s helpful to know that there are ways to improve it with this mineral. A balanced diet with magnesium-rich foods is a good place to start and having your levels tested can be helpful as well.