Magnesium as a dietary supplement: everything you need to know

A low magnesium diet and a stressful everyday life are common reasons why magnesium deficiency can occur. Magnesium is needed for normal muscle function and energy metabolism, and the mineral also reduces symptoms such as fatigue and fatigue.

This is why it is called an anti-stress mineral. Here you will learn more about magnesium and what symptoms you should pay attention to.

From raw material to dietary supplements

Magnesium citrate, a popular form of magnesium supplementation, begins its journey from minerals such as dolomite and magnesite or from seawater.

In order to extract magnesium from these sources, the minerals are mined and crushed first. Next, the magnesium compounds undergo a chemical process called electrolysis, in which magnesium is separated from other components by means of electric current.

The pure magnesium is then combined with citric acid in a controlled chemical reaction to form magnesium citrate. The resulting magnesium citrate solution is dried to a fine powder.

This powder undergoes rigorous quality checks to ensure purity, bioavailability and dosing accuracy.

What Does Magnesium Do?

‍Magnesium is a mineral that is involved in several important functions in the body. It is needed, among other things, for over 300 different enzyme reactions as well as a normal protein synthesis and calcium metabolism.

Magnesium also contributes to normal muscle and nerve function, energy metabolism and muscle growth. In addition, magnesium helps reduce fatigue and exhaustion.

What is magnesium good for?

‍Because magnesium is important for normal muscle and nerve function, the mineral in sufficient doses can relieve exercise pain and sore muscles. Magnesium is also often used for “ant crawls” and muscle cramps because it contributes to a normally functioning muscle function.

Magnesium is good for exercise, both because you sweat out the mineral and because it has an impact on muscle function and normal muscle growth.

Since magnesium is widely consumed during stress and is needed for relaxation, it is an important mineral to supply the body with if you experience stress in everyday life, are tense and/or feel that you have difficulty relaxing.

Relaxation is the a and o for sleep and recovery to function normally.

Why Do You Have Magnesium Deficiency?

‍There are several reasons why you may be deficient in magnesium. Eating a low-magnesium diet and stressing a lot are two common reasons. Magnesium is consumed to a greater extent during stress, so it is especially important to meet your needs if you experience stress.

Other reasons why you may be deficient in magnesium are not absorbing magnesium well enough or taking medicines that affect magnesium levels, such as diuretics that stimulate the excretion of magnesium in the urine.

Even too high an intake of vitamin D, but also too low an intake of phosphate, can lead to increased magnesium losses via urine. Magnesium is also lost when sweating.

Common symptoms of magnesium deficiency:

• Muscle aches and cramps
• Migraine
• Craving for chocolate
• Fatigue and restless sleep
• palpitations
• Numbness
• Irritation and worry
• Impaired ability to concentrate
• Osteoporosis
• Weaker tooth enamel
• Worse insulin sensitivity

How do you get magnesium?

‍In the diet, magnesium is found in foods such as nuts, seeds, oatmeal, whole grain products, beans, legumes and cocoa. Also bananas, rose hips and turmeric contain magnesium. If you suspect that you have a magnesium deficiency, it is good to change your diet and eat foods that naturally contain a lot of magnesium.

Foods rich in phytic acid as well as a low-protein diet can reduce the absorption of magnesium. Coffee, tea and soft drinks that have a diuretic effect can increase the expulsion of magnesium through the urine.

How much magnesium do you need?

‍The need for magnesium is individual and varies depending on gender. General recommendations according to the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR) to avoid the occurrence of a deficiency are:

• 280 mg daily for women
• 350 mg daily for men
• 280 mg daily for pregnant women
• 280 mg daily for breast-feeding

Magnesium as a dietary supplement

‍There are several different forms of magnesium. Magnesium supplements can contain different forms of magnesium and thus work differently for different people depending on how well you absorb the different magnesium forms and what your needs are.

How well a food supplement is taken up is often referred to as the bioavailability of the dietary supplement, a high bioavailability means that the nutrients are taken up efficiently and that the nutrients reach the bloodstream to a high extent where they can be transported further and benefit.

Some popular magnesium forms with high bioavailability are:

• Magnesium citrate
• Magnesium glycinate
• Magnesium taurate
• Magnesium succinate
• Magnesium Malate
• Magnesium lactate

Relivo contains magnesium citrate where one scoop per day gives you about 40% of the daily recommended intake. Together with food during the day, Relivo gives you the perfect foundation to cover your daily need for magnesium.

What happens if you get too much magnesium?

Magnesium is a water-soluble substance that dissolves in liquid and is carried out with the urine. However, the body may find it difficult to cope with excessive amounts of magnesium.

It's worth noting that a magnesium overdose from regular food has never been reported — all cases of too high intake have occurred when someone took too much supplements.

To avoid this, the best way is to follow the dosage recommendations found on dietary supplement packaging. In addition, you can visit the Swedish Food Agency's website for further information on how much of different nutrients you should be getting per day.

By staying within these guidelines, you can ensure that you are getting the right amount of magnesium to support your health without the risk of overdose.