What Can Magnesium Do for Your Body?

If there were an award given for “best supporting mineral” in your body, the trophy could easily go to magnesium. It helps support more than 300 different chemical processes throughout your body.

But what exactly does it do, and how much do you need? Registered dietitian Kate Patton, RD, LD, shares some of magnesium’s most notable benefits.

What is magnesium?

Magnesium is a powerhouse mineral that plays a crucial role in various processes all across your body. It helps with everything from regulating blood pressure and blood sugar levels to promoting energy production, nerve function and bone health.

“Magnesium is an essential mineral that plays a lot of important background roles in our physiological functioning,” Patton says.

In the foods you eat, magnesium is versatile. It goes about its work all over your body. In supplements, magnesium is combined with other substances to help bring out specific benefits.

For example:

• Magnesium glycinate is used in products to help promote sleep.
• Magnesium citrate is a powerful laxative.
• Magnesium oxide is sold as an antacid and migraine relief aid.
• Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) is known as a muscle relaxant.

Magnesium benefits

While some vitamins and minerals get a reputation for being really good at one thing — say, vitamin C for immune health or calcium for strong bones — magnesium is more of a team player. It’s working behind the scenes to keep all of your systems working in tip-top shape.

Patton shares just a few of magnesium’s best-known benefits.

Helps muscle function

If you’ve ever tried an Epsom salt bath, you may already know a bit about what may be magnesium’s most famous benefit. Some people say that soaking in a bathtub of Epson salt helps relieve sore muscles. The idea is that the magnesium in the salts absorbs into your skin to relieve aches and pains.

Research doesn’t necessarily back that up (though it could still be worth a try). But what has been well established is that magnesium can help keep your muscles functioning at their best. What’s more, severe magnesium deficiency can cause muscle cramps, numbness and tingling.

Aids digestion

Magnesium has a hand in helping break down food in your body so it can properly get through your system. That’s why you may see magnesium in some products for treating things like heartburn and indigestion.

Promotes heart health

Magnesium helps keep your heart healthy in a few ways.

It can help keep your blood pressure in a healthy range. It can also help regulate your blood sugar, which helps protect you from diabetes. And it may even be beneficial for managing an abnormal heart rhythm.

“Magnesium is an electrolyte, like sodium and potassium,” Patton explains. “That means it can help keep your body’s electrical system firing correctly.”

Too little magnesium and your heartbeat can go off beat, resulting in heart palpitations.

Relieves tension and anxiety

Magnesium’s role in helping you relax is what gave rise to the “sleepy girl mocktail” trend. But you don’t have to mix up a special concoction to get magnesium’s stress-reducing benefits.

Some researchers have found that magnesium may help level out cortisol levels. That means it can help keep your stress hormones from running amok, which can lead to things like depression and anxiety.

How much magnesium you need per day

Your magnesium needs change over the course of your lifetime. Starting in their teenage years, men need more magnesium than women. See these recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for each age and sex:

• Babies 6 months and younger: 30 milligrams (mg)
• 7 to 12 months: 75 mg
• 1 to 3 years: 80 mg
• 4 to 8 years: 130 mg
• 9 to 13 years: 240 mg
• 14 to 18 years male: 410 mg
• 14 to 18 years female: 360 mg
• 19 to 30 years male: 400 mg
• 19 to 30 years female: 310 mg
• 31 and older male: 420 mg
• 31 and older female: 320 mg

Pregnant women should get an additional 40 mg of magnesium per day. Some, but not all, prenatal vitamins include magnesium. Check labels to know if yours does.

Can you get too much?

Magnesium can do your body good, but too much of a good thing can cause problems, especially when you’re taking supplements.

Excessive magnesium intake can come with some risks, like:

• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Abdominal cramping
• Very low blood pressure
• Lethargy
• Impaired kidney function
• Weakness

Most people can get all the magnesium they need through a healthy diet. Foods high in magnesium include nuts, seeds, greens, beans, fruits and grains. So, it’s not hard to come by.

“A balanced diet that includes a variety of whole, plant-based foods should give most people the magnesium they need to stay healthy,” Patton shares. “You’re not going to eat too much magnesium to cause yourself any side effects. But when you’re taking supplements, it’s easy to go overboard.”

People who have certain gastrointestinal issues that affect how well they absorb nutrients can be at higher risk for magnesium deficiency and may be advised to take supplements. Others are simply drawn to magnesium supplements to help with things like muscle aches or stress relief.

If you think you would benefit from taking a magnesium supplement, talk with a healthcare provider first, like a dietitian or primary care physician. They can help make sure you’re taking the right amount in the right form to reap the benefits without the risks.