Our bodies are pretty spectacular. They use essential vitamins and minerals to run all of the processes—from moving oxygen around our bodies to synthesizing DNA and powering our neurons—that keep us happy, healthy, and alive.
In an ideal world, we’d get all of the vitamins and minerals we need from our diets alone. But thanks to modern food processing and production, the way we eat has dramatically shifted over the last 50 years. Today we eat foods with much higher concentrations of added sugars and salt while getting less of the essential vitamins and minerals our bodies need.
Magnesium is one such essential mineral that’s tough to get enough of in modern eating. Two-thirds of the Western world doesn’t get enough magnesium through foods like leafy vegetables, legumes, and bananas in their diet alone.
Enter magnesium supplements! These dietary additions are an easy way to make sure we’re getting the magnesium we need to power our bodies and everything they do for us. But how do you know if you’re getting enough magnesium? Can you take too much magnesium? What kind of health benefits can you expect from magnesium anyway?
Let’s answer these questions and more as we explore the many health benefits of magnesium and how magnesium supplements can help.
The Health Benefits of Magnesium
Magnesium is one of those 21 essential minerals that our bodies rely on and one of the most important among them, too. Behind calcium, sodium, and potassium, magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in our bodies. Magnesium is involved in more than 300 of our bodies’ enzyme processes, from building proteins and strong bones to keeping our muscles and nerves working well together. When your body has enough magnesium, it’s able to support:
It’s easy to see why it’s important to get enough magnesium every day. The problem is, in the Western world at least, few of us do. |
How Do I Know If I Need Magnesium? Signs of Low Magnesium
Between 56% and 68% of Americans don’t get enough magnesium to meet their recommended daily allowance. Men should get 400-420 mg each day while women should aim for 310-320 mg. Pregnant people should be taking about 350-360 mg of magnesium each day while lactating people should get 310-320 mg. Despite the importance of vitamins and minerals like magnesium, research has shown that nutrition and food science education is lacking in physician training. That means that the health professionals many of us rely on most aren’t always aware of the indicators of potential nutritional inadequacies. While most people don’t get enough magnesium, it’s rare that not getting enough magnesium will rise to the level of a true magnesium deficiency. Always striving for equilibrium, our bodies, or more specifically our kidneys, make sure we don’t lose too much magnesium through our urine when we’re running low. But if you’re worried about not getting enough magnesium each day, there’s good news. Diet isn’t the only way to get the right amount of magnesium. |
How Magnesium Supplements Can Help
While eating plenty of whole foods like nuts, leafy greens like spinach, beans and other legumes, and whole grain cereals is the best way to get the magnesium we need, magnesium supplements can help fill the gaps in many modern diets.
The most common forms of magnesium are magnesium citrate (often found in laxatives), magnesium glycinate, magnesium malate, and magnesium oxide (often found in antacids). There’s also plenty of natural, plant-based sources of supplemental magnesium as well.
Icelandic red algae is a mineral powerhouse that absorbs pure calcium, magnesium, and 74 other trace mineral and phytonutrients from the cool waters of Iceland. This bright red vegetable is a powerful and natural source of magnesium, as is the Dead Sea. Twelve of the minerals found in the Dead Sea cannot be found anywhere else on earth. That’s why it’s a unique source of bioavailable magnesium, a three-salt complex that makes it easily absorbed.
As always, before adding any supplement to your diet, it’s a good idea to discuss it with your healthcare provider so they can assess your needs.
While magnesium is used widely throughout the body, adding a magnesium supplement to a healthy diet can have a few specific and sought-after benefits for sleep, heart health, and bone health in particular.
Magnesium for Sleep
While the exact ways that magnesium supports sleep aren’t fully understood, a number of studies have found that it does, in fact, bring a number of sleep benefits.
Research suggests that magnesium supports better sleep by keeping cortisol in balance, supporting healthy melatonin production, and regulating a neurotransmitter known as GABA that helps support a calm central nervous system. Together this fosters healthy muscle relaxation, a sense of calm, and a well-regulated circadian rhythm that all come together to promote a good night’s sleep.
Magnesium for Heart Health
When it comes to heart health, the benefits of magnesium are many. Magnesium is important for muscle health, and the heart is essentially one big muscle.
This mighty mineral helps our hearts maintain a healthy rhythm, serving as an electrolyte that helps your heart uphold healthy electrical impulses that are key to its function. The right amount of magnesium helps keep your heart pumping at a steady, healthy rate.
Magnesium also helps support healthy blood pressure and, by facilitating the exchange of potassium and sodium across cell membranes, magnesium can be a major boost to overall cardiovascular health, too.
Magnesium for Bone Health
Most people associate calcium with bone heath. While it is the most important mineral for bone health, magnesium is important as well. Low values of magnesium have been shown to impact bone health, particularly in postmenopausal women.
About 60% of our bodies’ magnesium is stored in our bones. As a result, magnesium supports healthy bone formation and, in turn, bone mineral density. Getting enough magnesium—whether it’s through diet, supplements, or both—gives our bones the strength they need to stay flexible and resilient.
Studies show that building healthy bones throughout life is the best way to maintain strength and balance as we age. This is especially true in children, but the benefits of magnesium supplements for bone health can be reaped at any age. Bone health supplements like Bone Renewal® are designed to bring calcium, magnesium, and more to enhance what you consume in your diet.
A natural bone health supplement, Bone Renewal includes plant-based and vegan minerals from the Dead Sea and Icelandic red algae. It also features bone-nourishing botanical extracts like cissus extract, an ancient Ayurvedic herb that’s been used for more than 2,000 years. And, as always at Pure Synergy®, it’s preservative and additive-free!!
