Here’s what you need to know about this important electrolyte and how it supports your health and performance.
Magnesium is an electrolyte that has been recommended for everything from better sleep to boosted athletic performance. This might make you wonder if you’re consuming enough magnesium, especially considering you lose electrolytes through sweat.
As a runner, we need to consume enough magnesium so our body can make protein, conduct muscle and nerve functions, regulate blood sugar and blood pressure levels, and produce energy. Magnesium may also support our sleep and wake up pattern. The body also needs this electrolyte to help with the activation of vitamin D, a key nutrient needed for bone health.
Unfortunately, many athletes actually have very low magnesium levels, despite supplementation.
To find out if you need more magnesium, doctors can test your levels with a blood test. But you can also keep an eye out for these symptoms of magnesium deficiency, and pay attention to your intake with the strategies below.
SYMPTOMS OF MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY
Early Symptoms:
1. Fatigue or low energy
2. Nausea
3. Loss of appetite, which can lead to vomiting
4. Lower recovery time
More Serious Symptoms:
5. Muscle spasms
Numbness
Decreased immune system function
Heart arrhythmia
Other heart issues like plaque formation in heart blood vessels, which can lead to a heart attack
Low blood pressure
HOW MUCH MAGNESIUM DO YOU NEED?
The recommended daily allowance of magnesium for male age 19 to 50 years old is 400-420 milligrams. And for female age 19-50 years old is 310-320 milligrams. For adults over age 51, consuming the maximum recommended amounts of magnesium because as we get older, our body’s ability to absorb the nutrient decreases, and we tend to excrete more of it.
Low magnesium levels can be of concern for older adults, those who have gastrointestinal disorders, such as Crohn’s disease or celiac disease; type 2 diabetes, and alcoholism.
Also, older runners with kidney disease may be at risk.
THE BEST SOURCES AND SERVING SIZE OF MAGNESIUM
· 1 oz roasted pumpkin seeds: 156 mg
1 oz chia seeds: 111 mg
1 oz roasted almonds: 80 mg
1/2 cup spinach: 78 mg
1 oz roasted cashews: 74 mg
1/2 cup black beans, cooked: 60 mg
1/2 cup edamame: 50 mg
2 tbsp peanut butter: 49 mg
8 oz low-fat, plain yogurt: 42 mg
1 medium banana: 32 mg
3 oz cooked salmon: 26 mg
3 oz roasted chicken breast: 22 mg
SHOULD YOU CONSIDER TAKING A MAGNESIUM SUPPLEMENT?
Natural and organic foods are the best sources of magnesium, so if you have a good balanced diet that consists of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, and a variety of protein, or you take a multivitamin with minerals including magnesium, then you don’t have to worry about supplementation.
The supplement comes in a variety of different forms. Though magnesium citrate is the most common form, it tends to have a laxative effect; magnesium glycinate is an alternative that’s commonly used to improve sleep and is easier on the digestive tract.
Focus On Good Magnesium Supplements Daily Intake, Appreciate To Feel Better, Good Muscles And Bones, Better Heart Health, Good Sleep, Better And Great Nice Runs And Exercises!
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