Healthy eating is within your reach!
Make an appointment with our dietitians or nutritionists.
Schedule an appointmentThere’s a powerful story behind every headline at Ohio State Health & Discovery. As one of the largest academic health centers and health sciences campuses in the nation, we are uniquely positioned with renowned experts covering all aspects of health, wellness, science, research and education. Ohio State Health & Discovery brings this expertise together to deliver today’s most important health news and the deeper story behind the most powerful topics that affect the health of people, animals, society and the world. Like the science and discovery news you find here? You can support more innovations fueling advances across medicine, science, health and wellness by giving today.
Subscribe. The latest from Ohio State Health & Discovery delivered right to your inbox.
SubscribeMagnesium plays a fundamental role in regulating various processes that the body needs to function well. Low levels of magnesium are increasingly linked to disease risk and impaired disease management. Let's answer some frequently asked questions to help you determine how much magnesium you need, the best sources of magnesium and whether you might need a supplement.
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral, after calcium, sodium and potassium, that the body requires daily. Magnesium is involved in more than 300 enzyme systems necessary for:
The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of magnesium from all sources (food, beverages, dietary supplements, and medications) for adults is 400-420 milligrams (mg) per day for men and 310-320 mg per day for women.
Research suggests adequate magnesium levels may be effective in reducing the risk of:
The diets of most Americans don’t give us the recommended amounts of magnesium — especially for teenagers and men 70 and older. People who take magnesium supplements along with with getting magnesium from food typically get enough magnesium to meet or exceed the recommended amount.
Magnesium deficiency is commonly the result of decreased dietary intake, poor absorption and/or increased losses from the body or interactions with medications or other dietary supplements. People who don’t get enough magnesium can experience many different symptoms, from loss of appetite, nausea, mild tremors and generalized weakness to reduced blood flow to the heart and death.
More specific signs and symptoms of magnesium deficiency are outlined below.
Nerve and muscle manifestations:
Heart manifestations:
Other electrolyte and hormone abnormalities:
Magnesium is widely distributed in foods, occurring in greatest concentrations in nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables, legumes, whole grain products, soy and chocolate/cocoa. The amount of magnesium found in these foods is influenced by various factors, including:
Other vegetables, fruits, meat, poultry and fish have moderate amounts of magnesium content, whereas dairy products and beverages have low magnesium content. Foods can also be fortified with magnesium, such as in some breakfast cereals. It can also be found in supplements, either alone or as part of a multivitamin.
Drinking water sources — bottled mineral and tap — can also contain magnesium and provide portions of the RDA of this mineral, but the amount varies by source and brand, with a range of 1 mg/L to 120 mg/L.
Source: Magnesium - Health Professional Fact Sheet (nih.gov)
Here’s a link to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Nutrient Database providing a comprehensive list of foods, with magnesium content: https://www.nal.usda.gov/sites/www.nal.usda.gov/files/magnesium.pdf
Magnesium supplements should be used in addition to your regular diet if you’re unsuccessful in getting enough magnesium from food alone. If you’re eating plenty of food that is typically rich in magnesium, you might still not get enough of the nutrient because nutrient-depleted soil decreased the magnesium content of foods, the magnesium isn’t being absorbed properly in your body, you’re losing excessive amounts of magnesium through urine, you’re dependent on alcohol or interactions with medications or other dietary supplements are keeping your magnesium levels low.
Magnesium supplementation can certainly help fill gaps in a nutrient-deficient diet, but the challenge is discerning which products to use. Talking with your doctor before adding a magnesium supplement to your routine is a good first step. If supplementation is warranted, consider these facts:
The tolerable upper intake level (UL) of magnesium for non-food sources (meaning from dietary supplements and/or medications) is 350 mg per day for adults. High intakes of supplementary magnesium or magnesium-containing medications can be dangerous, even to people without kidney or gastrointestinal disease, and may result in undesirable complications. Common unpleasant side effects are diarrhea, nausea and abdominal cramping. Very high doses of magnesium can cause irregular heart rhythms and cardiac arrest.
Make an appointment with our dietitians or nutritionists.
Schedule an appointment