magnesium
Dietary supplement magnesium: a super mineral?
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No other dietary supplement is more popular. But is magnesium really such a game changer? The check.
What significance does that have? minerals in the body?
A fairly central one: “Magnesium is involved in several hundred metabolic processes, many of which have probably not yet been properly discovered,” says Professor Oliver Micke, chief physician at Franziskus Hospital Bielefeld and president of the Society for Magnesium Research. “It is certainly one of the most exciting and interesting elements, but unfortunately it still receives too little attention in medicine.” Magnesium is central to energy metabolism, but also for the bones, for example.
How much do we need?
The recommendations for adults are 300 milligrams per day for women and 350 milligrams for men.
Can the need be met through diet?
In principle yes. “There is a lot of magnesium in whole grain products and especially in nuts. Potatoes, broccoli and horseradish are also good,” says Oliver Micke. Some mineral water also has 100 milligrams per liter. Nevertheless: According to the National Consumption Study, 29 percent of female adults – even more than half of teenagers – and 26 percent of men eat a diet that does not meet the recommended requirements. What we consume is also just one thing: stress, alcohol and some medications, including the widely used proton pump inhibitors, are magnesium robbers. In this respect, a deficiency is not uncommon, especially in chronic illnesses.
How is a defect determined and what are the consequences?
A blood test only provides an indication because only a small part of the mineral is dissolved in the blood. “Even with low laboratory values that are still within the normal range, there can be a deficiency in the cells,” says the expert. “We see this relatively often and it may explain some of the complaints.” Classic symptoms are muscle cramps, often at night. But there are other connections: “People with diabetes often do not have good values, which in turn is not beneficial for diabetes. The same applies to people with high blood pressure.” If more magnesium is excreted than absorbed, the body also mobilizes the reserves in the bones. In the long term, the risk of osteoporosis increases. Low levels also appear to be associated with increased incidence of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, among other things; During the pandemic there was a connection with severe Covid courses.
So should we all take magnesium?
“It’s not a miracle cure, just a very small cog,” says Oliver Micke. This means, for example: Magnesium preparations do not replace antihypertensive drugs, but if you have slightly elevated blood pressure, you may be able to lower it to the normal range with magnesium and a change in lifestyle. With regard to the prophylactic effect, the following applies: Even with optimal magnesium levels, you can become ill. Connections to Alzheimer’s, for example, only emerge in large population studies. “Even though people with a lot of magnesium in their blood are obviously less likely to be affected, we don’t yet know whether it also protects us if we increase the level with preparations.”
Which preparations are best suited?
Effervescent tablet, capsule or direct granulate – this is primarily decided by personal preferences. Because of its better bioavailability, the expert recommends so-called organic magnesium such as magnesium citrate. “The advantage of magnesium is that it can hardly be overdosed”says Oliver Micke. Caution is advised when it comes to kidney disease, otherwise our body will reliably excrete excesses. However, diarrhea is possible as a side effect. Then it can help to split the daily intake into several intakes.