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The ultimate guide to magnesium: benefits and forms
Written byH&B editorial team
Reviewed byMadalena Vieira Costa
Magnesium is an essential mineral, but are you getting enough? Our nutritionist Madalena helps us discover what exactly magnesium is, plus all the different types
Summary
1What does magnesium do?
Magnesium supports hundreds of processes in the body, including turning the food we eat into energy...
2Magnesium in food
Fancy a magnesium-rich smoothie? “You could put in bananas, green vegetables or peanut butter and add a nut milk” says our nutritionist Madalena...
3Magnesium for muscles
Magnesium works as a natural blocker to calcium (which triggers muscle contractions) therefore helping muscle cells relax...
Time to meet magnesium! It’s vital for over 300 processes in the body but, despite its importance, many of us don’t get enough.1,2
Fortunately, our H&B nutritionist Madalena Vieira Costa is here to help explain this versatile mineral. Let’s learn about the various forms of magnesium, their benefits and what happens if you have too much. We’ll even cover what happens to your magnesium levels if you smoke.
What is magnesium and what does it do?
Magnesium is an important nutrient that supports hundreds of processes in the body, including:1,3,4
- normal muscle function, including the heart
- turning food into energy
- supporting healthy bones
- normal psychological function
Is magnesium a metal?
Yes – weird, right? The same metal that’s used in laptops and cameras helps our bodies to run normally. Many of the minerals our bodies need are metals, including iron, copper and manganese.
Magnesium is a trace mineral, which means that although it’s important for overall health, we don’t need large amounts of it. According to the NHS, women should get 270mg of magnesium and men should get 300mg per day (for adults aged 19-64).3
5 of the best forms of magnesium
A supplement, a spray or something else? The best form of magnesium for you will depend on the benefits you’re looking for.
There are many different types of magnesium too, but for now, we’ll stick to the different ways you can take magnesium...
1. Magnesium in food
You should get all the magnesium you need with a balanced diet. Good sources include:3,5
- legumes (e.g. edamame and black beans)
- nuts and seeds
- whole grains (e.g. wholemeal bread, brown rice and quinoa)
- green leafy vegetables
- fortified foods, like breakfast cereal
- milk, yoghurt and other milk products
“If we're looking at drinks, that could mean creating a smoothie,” Madalena adds. “You could put in bananas, green vegetables or peanut butter and add a nut milk.”
2. Magnesium supplements
Some people, like older adults or those with type 2 diabetes, are at increased risk of magnesium deficiency.1 Magnesium supplements are a quick and easy way to top up alongside your diet. And there are plenty of options: choose from tablets, liquids, gummies and more.
3. Magnesium flakes and soaks
Add magnesium flakes or salts to a foot or body bath. As well as replenishing mineral levels, soaking in magnesium can be particularly soothing.
Since they have a relatively low magnesium concentration, flakes and soaks are suitable for most people and offer a relaxing way to top up on minerals – though you should still read the label and talk to your GP if you’d like to use regularly during pregnancy.
Unfortunately, you won't get the same benefits from an bath soaks and other topical products as you would with oral magnesium supplement, so don't expect the magnesium flakes in your bath to help with a magnesium deficiency.
4. Magnesium gels and lotions
Often combined with moisturising ingredients, these are designed to help soothe muscles and skin.
A gel or lotion can be applied directly to a specific area – ideal for targeting soreness in a particular area.
6. Magnesium oil spray
Believed to help soothe muscles, a spray delivers magnesium directly to the skin. It's quick to use and travel-friendly: no tablets to swallow and less oily than creams.
What are the benefits of magnesium?
Magnesium plays an important role in energy metabolism. This is the process where the nutrients from your food are converted into energy to be used by the body.
Magnesium is key in helping a molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) work properly by combining to it and forming magnesium ATP, which delivers energy to every cell in your body.6
Without magnesium, ATP can’t do its job effectively, which is why fatigue is a common side effect of low magnesium.
Because it supports energy-yielding metabolism, magnesium plays a role in many other processes in the body – for example, it supports the normal functioning of the nervous system and the release of neurotransmitters (chemical messengers).6
Magnesium is also needed for normal muscle function, including your heart muscles.6
Muscles need to both contract and relax to work. Magnesium works as a natural blocker to calcium (which triggers muscle contractions) therefore helping muscle cells relax.6
It’s also believed that muscle weakness may be caused by a loss of potassium in muscle cells, which is closely linked with magnesium deficiency.7
Magnesium and calcium work closely, as magnesium is essential for calcium absorption.6 That’s why you’ll often find them in supplements together.
A 2014 study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Scientists reported that a magnesium deficiency is associated with low bone density.8
As magnesium is needed for over 300 essential functions in our body, it's no surprise that it may impact our hormones.
A study published in the Journal of Caring Sciences in 2012 asked women with pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) to complete a menstrual diary while taking either magnesium, vitamin B6 or a placebo.
The scientists found that both vitamin B6 and magnesium significantly improved symptoms like depression, anxiety and water retention.9
So, if you deal with PMS, getting more magnesium in your diet may be worth trying. However, there isn't enough evidence for magnesium supplements helping with PMS as this was a small study and more research in larger groups is needed.
Magnesium deficiency has been linked to depression.10 It’s thought magnesium may help maintain the neurotransmitters in our brain related to moods.
However much more research is needed to understand the link between magnesium and mood, because researchers don’t yet know if this link is only seen in people with magnesium deficiency.
Importantly, they need to learn the details on the duration, dosage and much more for any potential benefits.11
In a small study on 26 athletes, researchers found magnesium reduced cortisol, a hormone released by the body when under stress.12
And, according to a 2006 study on university students, stress might actually deplete the magnesium in your body. It’s important you get enough magnesium through your diet and supplementation.13
What effect does smoking have on magnesium?
Smoking can leave you lacking in crucial vitamins and minerals, including magnesium.14
More smoking = less magnesium
Research published in the IOSR Journal of Pharmacy in 2013 looked at iron and magnesium levels in the blood of smokers. It found that magnesium levels were much lower in smokers and that magnesium significantly decreased in those smoking over 15 cigarettes a day.15
Smoking and magnesium absorption
Smoking can limit your appetite.16 If you’re eating less food, you’re getting fewer nutrients.
It can also reduce magnesium absorption thanks to the impact it has on your digestion.17
Smoking weakens the muscle between the oesophagus and stomach and can also affect parts of the body like the mucus that protects the stomach lining. All this damage makes it harder to absorb nutrients, including magnesium.18
Smoking, magnesium and your kidneys
Nicotine damages the kidneys, which are responsible for regulating the body’s supply of electrolytes, including magnesium. If the kidneys are less able to excrete these substances, you can be left with a build-up of waste products in the blood.19
That’s why smokers are at higher risk of kidney diseases than non-smokers.19
Yet another reason to munch on magnesium-rich leafy greens and ditch the cigarettes...
What happens if I have too much magnesium?
Excessive magnesium can lead to stomach upsets and diarrhoea.1
In serious cases, it could also lead to low blood pressure, drowsiness, muscle weakness and difficulty breathing.1
Due to its laxative effects, you should take magnesium with meals or you may have some tummy troubles.
The final say
Magnesium may offer several benefits, from reducing tiredness to supporting your bones.
As with all vitamins and minerals, try to get your magnesium through your diet where you can and if you think you need a top-up, talk to your GP first. This is particularly important if you’re pregnant or on other medications.
Take a look next at how magnesium can boost your workout or whether you should put magnesium on your feet...
The advice in this article is for information only and should not replace medical care. Please check with your GP or healthcare professional before trying any supplements, treatments or remedies. Food supplements must not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Before taking any supplements or minerals, it’s best to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients through your diet first.
Food supplements must not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
1. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Magnesium [Internet]. NIH [reviewed 2022 Jun 2; cited 2024 Aug 16]. Available from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
2. Derbyshire E. Micronutrient Intakes of British Adults Across Mid-Life: A Secondary Analysis of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Front Nutr [Internet]. 2018 Jul 19 [cited 2024 Aug 16]; 19:5:55. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30073167/
3. NHS. Vitamins and minerals – Others [Internet]. NHS [reviewed 2020 Aug 3; cited 2024 Aug 16]. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/others/
4. European Commission. Characteristics [Internet]. European Commission [cited 2024 Aug 16]. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/food/food-feed-portal/screen/health-claims/eu-register/details/POL-HC-6407
5. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Magnesium [Internet]. NIH [reviewed 2021 Mar 22; cited 2024 Aug 16]. Available from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-Consumer/
6. Jahnen-Dechent W, Ketteler M. Magnesium basics. Clin Kidney J [Internet]. 2021 Feb [cited 2024 Aug 16]; 5(Suppl 1): i13-i14. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455825/
7. Huang CL, Kuo E. Mechanism of hypokalemia in magnesium deficiency. J Am Soc Nephrol [Internet]. 2007 Sep 5 [cited 2024 Aug 16]; 18(10): 2649-52. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17804670
8. Orchard TS et al. Magnesium intake, bone mineral density, and fractures: Results from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition [Internet]. 2014 Feb [cited 2024 Aug 16]; 99(4). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260116968_Magnesium_intake_bone_mineral_density_and_fractures_Results_from_the_Women's_Health_Initiative_Observational_Study
9. Ebrahimi E, Khayati Motlagh S, Nemati S, Tavakoli Z. Effects of Magnesium and Vitamin B6 on the Severity of Premenstrual Syndrome Symptoms. J Caring Sci [Internet]. 2012 Nov 22 [cited 2024 Aug 16]; 1(4): 183-9. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4161081/
10. Eby GA, Eby KL, Murk H. Magnesium and major depression. Magnesium in the Central Nervous System [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2024 Aug 16]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507265/
11. Poleszak E. Benzodiazepine/GABA(A) receptors are involved in magnesium-induced anxiolytic-like behavior in mice. Pharmacol Rep [Internet]. 2008 Jul-Aug [cited 2024 Aug 16]; 60(4): 483-9. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18799816/
12. Dmitrašinović G et al. ACTH, Cortisol and IL-6 Levels in Athletes following magnesium supplementation. J Med Biochem [Internet]. 2016 Nov 2 [cited 2024 Aug 16]; 35(4): 375-84. Available from:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28670189.
13. Grases G. Anxiety and stress among science students. Study of calcium and magnesium alterations. Magnes Res [Internet]. 2006 Jun [cited 2024 Aug 16]; 19(2): 102-6. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16955721
14. Mohammed AM, Hashish AF, El-Saeed GS. Studying the Association between Cigarette Smoking and Serum Copper, Zinc, and Magnesium Concentrations: A Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Public Health and Primary Care [Internet]. 2023 Jan-Apr [cited 2024 Aug 16]; 4(1): 42-47. Available from: https://journals.lww.com/jphp/fulltext/2023/04010/studying_the_association_between_cigarette_smoking.9.aspx
15. Mudawi SAA, Ahmed SM, Al-Abd BAH. Assessment of the Levels of Serum Iron and Magnesium in Sudanese Cigarette Smokers. IOSR Journal of Pharmacy [Internet]. 2013 May [cited 2024 Aug 16]; 3(4): 26-30. Available from: http://www.iosrphr.org/papers/v3i4/Part.3/E0343026030.pdf
16. NHS Inform. Myths around stopping smoking [Internet]. NHS Inform [reviewed 2022 Dec 19; cited 2024 Aug 16]. Available from: https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/stopping-smoking/when-you-stop/myths-around-stopping-smoking/
17. Picciotto M, Mineur YS. Molecules and circuits involved in nicotine addiction: The many faces of smoking. Neuropharmacology [Internet]. 2014 Jan [cited 2024 Aug 16]; 76: 545-53. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23632083/
18. Preston AM. Cigarette smoking – nutritional implications. Prog Food Nutr Sci [Internet]. 1991 [cited 2024 Aug 16]; 15(4): 183-217. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1784736/ 19. Kidney Research UK. Smoking and kidney disease [Internet]. Kidney Research UK [cited 2024 Aug 16]. Available from: https://www.kidneyresearchuk.org/kidney-health-information/about-kidney-disease/am-i-at-risk/smoking-and-kidney-disease/
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