EN
FR
DE
IT
ES
Magnesium is essential for human life and, among other things, regulates the energy metabolism. A magnesium deficiency is not only bad for your health, but also for your performance. A mineral deficit is not so rare. Find out in this article how you can counteract this so that you can perform full of energy.
Why magnesium is important to you
Magnesium is that fourth most common mineral in the human body and in addition to sodium, potassium and calcium, it is an essential electrolyte for the metabolism.1 About 50% of the magnesium is found in the bones, almost another 50% are contained in cells and organs of the body tissue and less than 1% in the blood. Our cell powerhouse, the mitochondria, produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Together with ATP, magnesium controls the cellular energy metabolism in the organism. The energy-providing function of ATP is only given as a magnesium-ATP complex. Without magnesium you would have no energy at all, which makes this mineral essential for your body and your health!
As a coenzyme, magnesium is involved in over 300 metabolic reactions in the body that regulate various biochemical reactions in the body.
This includes protein synthesis, the growth and reproduction of cells and the synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid. This makes magnesium one of the most important nutrients for you and your body. Especially those who have a high level of nervous stress in their everyday life, such as professional athletes, rightly swear by this mineral.
Magnesium also plays a key role in the active transport of calcium and potassium ions across cell membranes and thus supports the maintenance
- normal nerve and muscle function,
- of the heart rhythm,
- of the vasomotor sound,
- blood pressure,
- the immune system,
- bone integrity,
- of blood sugar levels.2
Magnesium requirement: intake and dosage
A regular intake of magnesium is important for people so that important processes in your body work properly and you in none Mineral deficiencies suffer from magnesium. The mineral also plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of many diseases and is therefore also an ingredient in Strengthen the immune system to be able to. There is a connection with a low magnesium level and chronic and inflammatory diseases such as
- Alzheimer
- Asthma
- insulin resistance
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Hypertension
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Migraine
- Osteoporosis.1
Adequate magnesium intake is important for the body and health
Nutritional surveys have shown that the intake of magnesium is below the recommended amount. It is important to know that we lose magnesium through our sweat. This means that everyone who sweats a lot during the day needs more magnesium. Many experts in the nutrition sector recommend the ideal intake of magnesium depending on body weight, e.g. 4-6 mg per kg / day.1
The German Nutrition Society recommends the following reference values for magnesium intake:
Magnesium supplements are available as magnesium oxide, magnesium chloride, magnesium citrate, magnesium taurate, magnesium orotate, as well as other amino acid chelates. Due to the high bioavailability and the organically bound magnesium salts, magnesium citrate, gluconate, orotate or aspartate are particularly suitable for magnesium deficiency.1
Amino acid chelates such as magnesium bisglycinate are the most bioavailable like citrates, but the proportion of pure magnesium is lower because it is linked to the amino acid glycine. This has the advantage that the magnesium is absorbed more slowly and the glycine also protects the gastric mucosa. So that's one Combination of a citrate, which works quickly, and a magnesium glycinate, which works slowly and is particularly gentle on the stomach, the perfect duo.
Which foods contain magnesium?
Water accounts for approximately 10% of daily magnesium intake, with the main source being chlorophyll, which is green vegetables such as B. Spinach. Nuts, seeds and unprocessed vegetables in particular are rich in magnesium. You can find a medium concentration of magnesium in legumes, fruit, fish and meat. You can see further examples of an optimal intake of magnesium in the table:
The magnesium content in unprocessed foods is usually much higher than in prepared foods, as considerable amounts of magnesium can be lost in cooking water, for example.3
Mineral deficiency: magnesium
Magnesium deficiency is not uncommon and should be avoided through adequate intake. Deficiency is defined as a magnesium concentration in the serum below 0,75 mmol / l.
Signs and Symptoms of Deficiency
Early signs of magnesium deficiency do not indicate a specific condition. Deficiency symptoms include, for example
- anorexia
- Nausea
- Vomit
- headache
- fatigue
- irritability
- weakness
- low stress tolerance
- Trouble sleeping
- Performance disruptions
- Arrhythmia
- palpitations
A more pronounced magnesium deficiency can lead to increased neuromuscular excitability such as muscle tremors, muscle cramps and muscle attacks.
Frequently, magnesium deficiency is also associated with other electrolyte imbalances, such as decreased potassium levels (below 2,2 mmol / l) and abnormally lower calcium levels in the blood (below 1,1 mmol / l). Conditions such as alcoholism, poorly controlled diabetes, Crohn's disease, celiac disease, and kidney disease can also cause magnesium deficiency. There are also a number of drugs that lead to magnesium loss: Antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, diuretics and proton pump inhibitors.1
Even athletes who do not consume the right amount of magnesium are not immune to chronic inflammatory reactions, which can have effects on short- and long-term health and athletic performance.2
Can Magnesium Boost Performance?
Minerals such as magnesium are essential for a number of metabolic and physiological processes in the body. They are important and contribute to muscle contraction, normal heart rhythm, nerve impulse conduction, oxygen transport, enzyme activation and immune functions. These processes will be accelerated during your training. This means that you need a sufficient amount of minerals for optimal functioning. For this reason, athletes and people in particular who are subjected to high demands should consume a sufficient amount of magnesium and other minerals through a balanced diet.
Some studies have examined the effects of magnesium on increasing performance. However, magnesium cannot improve your performance in this sense, but it is definitely necessary to maintain your performance. So if you have a magnesium deficiency, it is possible that your body is not functioning optimally and you do not have enough energy to carry out your training satisfactorily.4
Auch Crossfit athlete Kester knows the importance of magnesium and has made it his pre-workout routine. In an interview he told our founder Philip how he got into Crossfit and which one ahead-Products support him in optimal performance.
Check it out in this video:
Summary
Magnesium is an essential electrolyte for living organisms. A deficiency in this mineral is unfortunately very common and should be avoided at all costs. In addition, a magnesium deficiency is bad for health and linked to many diseases, such as high blood pressure, arrhythmias, arteriosclerosis and diabetes mellitus. Magnesium is important for regeneration and supports normal protein synthesis and energy metabolism. So make sure you have a balanced diet so that you can perform optimally in everyday life, at work and in sports.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4586582/#B28-nutrients-07-05388
[2] https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2015/07000/Magnesium_and_the_Athlete.8.aspx
[3] https://www.rosenfluh.ch/media/ernaehrungsmedizin/2010/01/Physiologie_und_Pathophysiologie_von_Magnesium.pdf
[4] https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-2-1-43