Magnesium is a mineral and one of the essential nutrients: it's vital for the body and must come from food, because the body can't produce it itself.
"Muscle cramps? Then you're lacking magnesium!"
Everyone knows this saying – but is it actually true? What exactly is magnesium, and where does our body get it from?
Magnesium is a mineral and one of the essential nutrients, which means it's vital for the body and must come from our food, because the body can't produce it itself.
What does magnesium do?
Magnesium has many different jobs in our body.
For one, it's the natural counterpart to calcium. Put simply, calcium makes the muscle contract, while magnesium makes it relax again. If the calcium concentration in the muscle is too high, this can lead to tension and cramps. Magnesium stabilises the cell membrane, so less calcium can flow in. This lowers the excitability of the muscle cells and ensures healthy muscle function.
Magnesium also contributes to normal energy metabolism. It activates adenosine triphosphate, better known as ATP. Combined with magnesium, ATP can develop its full driving force and the body performs better. That's also why athletes who suffered from magnesium deficiency can perform better again once their magnesium levels are normalised.
It's no coincidence that magnesium is also called "bone material". About 60% of the magnesium in our body is stored in the bones. Together with vitamin D3, phosphorus and calcium, it's important for building bones and teeth. If the body gets too little magnesium, it draws on its stores. As the bones are the largest magnesium stores, they suffer most. This can lead to reduced bone density and an increased risk of osteoporosis.
What happens with a magnesium deficiency?
Besides the roughly 60% stored in the bones, only about 1% of the body's total magnesium is bound in the blood; the rest is distributed across our muscles and various organs and tissues. Since the body draws magnesium from its stores when there's a deficiency, a sufficient blood magnesium level doesn't necessarily mean the body has enough magnesium.
A drastic magnesium deficiency is fairly rare with a healthy, balanced diet. So what can cause one?
- Stress (over a longer period)
- Heavy physical strain (and therefore heavy sweating)
- Illness (e.g. diarrhoeal diseases)
The exact symptoms of magnesium deficiency are often hard to pin down. In general, though, it can cause trembling, constipation, circulatory problems, muscle cramps, tiredness and headaches.
Do I need tablets to cover my daily requirement?
No, of course not. In exceptional cases magnesium tablets can make sense, but as a rule they're not needed. A healthy adult needs about 300 to 400 mg of magnesium a day.
Plant foods in particular contain a lot of magnesium, e.g. nuts, wholegrain products, pulses and vegetables. Just 200 g of wholegrain bread contains 300 mg of magnesium, almost covering the daily requirement.
Among the foods richest in magnesium are:
- Cocoa powder – 420 mg/100 g
- Cashew nuts – 267 mg/100 g
- Oats – 139 mg/100 g
- Beans – 132 mg/100 g
So even dark chocolate is a good source of magnesium and can be enjoyed now and then – it also contains less sugar than milk chocolate (but still enjoy it in moderation).
A varied diet with plenty of vegetables and wholegrain products therefore usually provides enough magnesium. You should also avoid alcohol, as even 0.5 per mille has a dehydrating effect, causing more magnesium to be excreted.
Magnesium and muscle cramps
In clinical studies, an improvement in the duration and frequency of muscle cramps from taking extra magnesium (when the daily requirement was already covered by food) could actually not be reliably proven.
Of course, the daily requirement of about 300 to 400 mg should be covered by your diet, but taking more often makes little sense. The exceptions are pregnant women and diabetics, who have a higher requirement.
If you get muscle cramps often, though, a magnesium deficiency can certainly be the cause, so you should pay more attention to a balanced, varied diet – especially if you've been under heavy stress for a long time, sweat a lot or have digestive problems. Maybe your body simply needs a break. Sadly, relaxation and recovery often fall short in our everyday lives.
In a nutshell
Positive effects on magnesium levels
- Vegetables
- Wholegrain products
- Pulses
- Cocoa powder
- Dark chocolate now and then
Negative effects on magnesium levels
- Alcohol
- Stress
- Digestive problems
- Frequent, heavy sweating
- An unhealthy, monotonous diet
So it's actually not that hard to get enough magnesium and prevent muscle cramps!
Sources
magnesium-ratgeber.de · medizin-transparent.at/magnesium-gegen-muskelkraempfe
