What is magnesium and what does it do?

Magnesium is a popular topic on social media and in the news as people talk about the various ways magnesium-rich foods or magnesium supplements are supporting their health and wellbeing.

But what is magnesium? And what does magnesium do? Well, magnesium is an element found in the earth’s core, sea water and in many foods. It’s an essential element your body needs to perform at its best. In fact, it’s a critical part of more than 300 process in the human body, including protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, energy production, blood sugar metabolism, normal heart rhythm and so much more.

Benefits of magnesium

Ensuring you get enough magnesium in your diet is important for all those key functions, but many people are turning to magnesium to support specific wellness needs, too, whether it’s sleep, stress, energy production, heart health or brain health.

Magnesium for sleep and stress

Many people are experimenting with magnesium before bedtime as a way to support their efforts toward getting a good night’s sleep. Some studies suggest a connection between magnesium and sleep health. And regulating the body’s response to occasional stress is another one of the important roles that magnesium plays.

Magnesium for heart health

Want to support your ticker? Make sure you’re getting enough magnesium. Research shows that magnesium plays an important role in cardiovascular health, and not getting enough of it is a contributing to factor to cardiovascular issues. Your body also uses magnesium for regulating normal heart rhythms.

Magnesium for brain health

If you’re looking for brain food, choose foods that are high in magnesium. Experts agree that magnesium supports brain health. In one study that showed a link between a higher intake of magnesium and better brain health, the effect was especially prevalent in women.

Magnesium for energy production

Want to support your normal energy levels? Magnesium can contribute to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Supporting normal energy-yielding metabolism is one of the key functions that magnesium performs in the human body.

How much magnesium should I take per day?

Determining how much magnesium per day you should consume is based on your age and gender. Men need 400-420mg a day while women need 310-320mg. But the reality is that more than half of adult Americans do not get the recommended amount of magnesium from their diet.*

That could be because of their food and beverage choices, because magnesium is lost during food processing, or even due to changes in farming and the environment that can impact the level of magnesium in the soil and food that grows there.

Sources of magnesium: Magnesium-rich foods

There are plenty of magnesium-rich foods to choose from to ensure you’re hitting your target intake each day, including some that have been fortified with magnesium such as ready-to-eat cereals. Look for leafy, green vegetables; legumes, nuts and seeds; whole grains and foods that are high in fiber.

Some examples of magnesium-rich foods:

• 1oz of roasted pumpkin seeds provides 156mg of magnesium
• ½ cup of cooked spinach delivers 78mg
• 1 cup of plain yogurt has 42mg
• 3oz of Atlantic salmon has 26mg

What to look for in magnesium supplements

If you want help getting your recommended amount of magnesium each day, you can consider a magnesium supplement to help fill in any nutrient gaps in your diet. Nutrilite Senior Research Scientist and Registered Dietitian Holiday Durham Zanetti, Ph.D., said one important thing to consider when choosing a magnesium supplement is how easily your body can absorb it.

Your body may treat different types of magnesium differently. Nutrilite Magnesium features magnesium bisglycinate chelate and dimagnesium malate, Zanetti said, “protected” forms that may absorb better in the body.**

“These two types of magnesium are chelated or ‘protected,’ which means they may be less likely to bind to water or food components,” she said. “When magnesium binds with certain compounds, it may not be absorbed as well by your body so less of it may make it into your system. The protected form may help avoid that issue.”

Nutrilite Magnesium also features magnesium hydroxide sourced from Irish seawater and olive fruit extract from Nutrilite partner farms to support heart health and provide antioxidant support.† The result is a magnesium supplement that delivers 200mg of elemental magnesium to help fill any nutrient gaps.

The product is also vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and dairy-free with no genetically engineered ingredients, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. In addition, it is NSF certified, verifying that the level of magnesium on the label is truly in the product for the duration of the shelf life.

†This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

* National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2013-2016

**Based on absorption study results compared to magnesium oxide.