Magnesium is a mineral that plays a key role in your daily health. It supports hundreds of functions in your body, including your energy production, muscle function and even sleep. But what makes magnesium so special? And why is it essential for good health? Our dietitian takes you through its key properties.
What is it?
Magnesium is an essential mineral that plays a crucial role in more than 300 biochemical processes in your body. From energy production to supporting muscles and nerves, magnesium helps your body function smoothly. Although magnesium is found in many foods such as leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, it can sometimes be difficult to get enough through your diet.
Magnesium and sleep: The panacea?
The link between magnesium and sleep is promising. In fact, according to research, magnesium helps regulate neurotransmitters such as GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), a chemical that calms the nervous system and prepares your brain for relaxation and rest. Without enough GABA, your brain can remain overactive, leading to difficulty falling asleep and shallow sleep. By supporting your GABA levels, magnesium promotes the deeper, more restorative sleep cycle. Although studies point to this, the science is not yet completely unequivocal.
In addition, magnesium plays an important role in the production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates your internal biological clock and balances your sleep-wake cycle. The production of melatonin helps your body prepare for sleep. Low magnesium levels can reduce the production of melatonin, which can lead to problems falling asleep or sleeping through.
More than just sleep
Magnesium also plays a key role in many different other body processes
- Energy production: Magnesium helps convert food into usable energy by supporting the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), your cells’ energy carrier. Without enough magnesium, your cells cannot efficiently use the energy you get from food. This is especially important during physical exertion.
- Muscle and nerve function: The mineral regulates muscle contraction and relaxation, and promotes proper nerve conduction, which is essential for smooth muscle function and communication between the brain and muscles. Without magnesium, your muscles would contract more often, which can cause cramps and spasms.
- Bone Health: In addition to calcium, magnesium is one of the essential minerals that contribute to the formation and maintenance of strong bones and teeth. It plays an important role in calcium metabolism because it helps in the absorption of calcium into the bones while preventing too much calcium from accumulating in the soft tissues. A long-term magnesium deficiency can lead to impaired bone density
Magnesium in food
It is always good to get magnesium through food first, as this is the best way to provide your body with all the necessary nutrients. Some magnesium-rich foods are:
– Leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, endive)
– Nuts and seeds (almonds, chia seeds, cashews)
– Beans (black beans, chickpeas, soybeans)
– Whole grain cereals (quinoa, brown rice)
– Dark chocolate (70%+ cocoa)
Should you take a magnesium supplement?
If you are deficient in Magnesium, a supplement can help. However, it is wise to get your magnesium intake primarily through food. If necessary, discuss with a doctor or dietician whether a supplement is necessary for you.
Magnesium in Jake Shakes and Vitamin Bars
The good news? Jake Shakes and Vitaminbars also contain magnesium! Jake products are designed to provide you with a complete nutritional profile, with an optimal blend that covers 30 percent of your daily requirements for essential vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, so you get all the nutrients you need!
Literature:
- Magnesium and Sleep: Systematic Review The Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Subjective Anxiety and Stress—A Systematic Review – PMC (nih.gov)
- Magnesium Deficiency and Health Magnesium – Health Professional Fact Sheet (nih.gov)
- The Nutrition Source – Magnesium Magnesium – The Nutrition Source (harvard.edu)
- Magnesium in Muscle Function Phylogenomics-guided discovery of a novel conserved cassette of short linear motifs in BubR1 essential for the spindle checkpoint – PubMed (nih.gov)
