Magnesium
As an essential mineral contributing to normal muscle, nerve and psychological function, it's important to ensure you're getting enough magnesium. Adding a magnesium supplement into your daily wellbeing routine, alongside a varied and balanced diet, can help ensure you're getting the right amount and help keep your body working as it should.
Magnesium is an important element for the human body, helping keep your muscles, nerves and brain functioning as they should. Although found in many foods, supplements such as magnesium citrate can help maintain healthy levels of the fourth most abundant essential mineral in your body.
Why do I need magnesium?
More than 300 processes in the human body require magnesium to function correctly. It contributes to protein synthesis, is essential for cell division and maintains healthy bones and teeth. It is also vital for your muscles to function properly, including your heart, as well as supporting a healthy nervous system and the regulation of electrolytes - which helps to balance out water content in the body.
What foods contain magnesium?
Many foods we consume daily are packed with magnesium, but those with the highest content are whole grains, dark leafy greens, milk, yoghurt, seeds and nuts.
What is magnesium good for?
Magnesium offers many benefits for your body, including:
Supporting strong teeth and bones: Magnesium aids in their structural development alongside calcium.
Reducing tiredness and fatigue: Feeling tired and lethargic for seemingly no reason can be a symptom of a deficiency in the body, especially if you're still feeling this way despite sleeping, eating and exercising well. A lack of magnesium could cause this lethargic feeling, as it's needed to transport energy to all cells around the body.
Keeping your muscles mobile: Magnesium works harmoniously alongside the calcium in your body to contract and relax your muscles, with calcium triggering muscle contractions and magnesium working as a blocker to allow your muscles to relax.
What are the different types of magnesium?
Understanding the different types of magnesium supplements available can be difficult, but these are two main options you'll see most often:
Magnesium glycinate: Of all types of magnesium, this is the best absorbed by the body and is the most gentle on the stomach.
Magnesium citrate: is also well absorbed by the body but is not as gentle.