It’s easy to see why magnesium is the trending super ingredient of the supplement world – it has benefits for everything from our skin to our muscles, and even our mood and our brain function. While our bodies source magnesium from food, they can’t produce their own magnesium. In fact, according to nutritionist Lisa Borg, around 80% of people in the Western world are deficient in magnesium. But when our magnesium levels are low our bodies don’t work as efficiently as they should, and we’re likely to experience symptoms like poor sleep, migraines, fatigue, and even anxiety and depression.
Lisa recommends introducing more magnesium-rich foods into your diet including leafy greens like spinach and broccoli, nuts, seeds, and oily fish, but taking a dietary supplement like Solgar’s Magnesium Citrate Tablets can help the body to maintain healthy levels of this essential mineral.
Scroll down to read more about the many benefits of taking a magnesium supplement.
Soothe aching muscles
Some of the main symptoms of magnesium deficiency are muscles that feel achy or experience spasms or cramps. If you’re prone to muscle aches or exercise regularly then it’s a good idea to take a magnesium supplement since it’s essential for proper muscle function. It helps to relax and control your muscles during exercise and prevents the buildup of lactic acid which can cause muscular tension.
Support healthy bones
While we all associate calcium with healthy bones, “Magnesium is essential for bone formation too,” says Lisa. “Magnesium and calcium work synergistically in the body and when supplementing magnesium, one should also supplement with calcium at twice the dose of magnesium.” In the long-term, magnesium contributes to increased bone density and helps to prevent osteoporosis.
Boost energy levels
Magnesium plays a role in how the body distributes and processes energy, so if you’re feeling a bit sluggish or fatigued, taking a magnesium supplement can help to maintain energy levels and prevent tiredness.
Improve sleep
It’s no miracle cure for insomnia, but magnesium can benefit those who have trouble falling asleep. Tt helps to relax muscles and quiet the nervous system, as well as regulate the hormone melatonin, which guides the body’s sleep cycles.
Ease period pain
Since it’s effective at relaxing muscles, magnesium can relieve period pain – menstrual cramps are caused by the uterus muscles contracting. Taking magnesium helps to relax these muscles and reduce the pain.
Boost skin health
Magnesium has multiple skin specific benefits ranging from reducing sun damage and repairing cells through to fighting skin allergens and calming sensitivity. It can also help to enhance barrier repair, so plays a role in treating dry, damaged skin.
Relieve constipation
“There are different forms of magnesium used in supplements, and while all are designed to assist in raising magnesium status within the body, each type has its own specific benefits,” explains Lisa. “Magnesium citrate is mainly used to assist with constipation because it increases the fluids in the intestines and helps soften the stool”.
Anti-stress
Studies show a link between low magnesium levels and high risk of stress, anxiety, and depression which suggests that supplementing with magnesium could help with these conditions. This is linked to magnesium’s ability to regulate the nervous system and the neurotransmitters (which send messages between the brain and the body).
General health
As well as the specific benefits above, magnesium is essential to almost every function within the body because it directly ties in with the provision of energy for all bodily processes. Everything from processing nutrients to transporting enzymes requires magnesium. According to Lisa, “Magnesium is one of the safest supplements to take because your body eliminates any excess in loose stools which one can use as a marker for personal tolerance to assess an appropriate individual dose”. So, if you’re looking for a minimal side effect supplement to benefit your general health, magnesium would be great one to opt for.
