Why should you take a magnesium supplement?

Everyone's buzzing about magnesium – but it isn’t just a fad. From taking care of our sleep to supporting energy levels and even soothing anxiety, here’s why magnesium should be a top-trending nutrient all year, every year.   

Magnesium is a multitasking mineral that’s responsible for more than 300 essential biochemical reactions in the body. It helps take care of everything from restful sleep to positive mood, metabolism, blood pressure, muscles and even our bones and teeth. 

But, amazingly, most people in the UK don't get enough magnesium in their daily diets. And that's where a good quality supplement can help. 

What exactly is magnesium good for? 

Mood and sleep – Feeling depressed, irritable or agitated for no obvious reason? Having trouble sleeping, or often waking up at night? Or just feeling less sharp? In all these cases, a lack of magnesium could be the culprit because it plays a major role in the functioning of key neurotransmitters. These include acetylcholine, which contributes to memory, learning and attention; and GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid), which is important for overall brain activity and helps to regulate anxiety.

Stress – Magnesium also plays a crucial role in how we manage stress. It helps to balance our serotonin levels, and interacts with other stress-related hormones like cortisol, prolactin, and oxytocin. When magnesium is low, it can lower our ability to handle stress, leading to anxiety and insomnia. Stress in turn can reduce our magnesium levels, causing a vicious cycle.

Energy levels – Our bodies need magnesium to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a molecule that gives our cells energy and drives our metabolism. If you don't get enough ATP, you'll have less energy. It also helps drive the millions of chemical reactions that are happening daily in our bodies, even just constantly replacing dead cells with living ones.

Muscle cramps and exercise recovery – Can’t sleep because of cramps? Painful muscle spasms? Without enough magnesium, our muscles can’t relax properly. Magnesium is also vital for athletes and whenever we do vigorous exercise. It helps protect our muscles during exercise and with recovery afterwards by taking care of the enzymatic reactions that affect muscle performance.

Headaches – Research shows that people who suffer from migraines, cluster headaches and menstrual migraines often have lower levels of magnesium. 

Healthy teeth and bones – We all know about calcium, but magnesium is just as important. We need magnesium to make the apatite crystals that make up most of our bones and tooth enamel. About 60 per cent of all the body’s magnesium ends up stored in our bones. Magnesium also plays a role regulating two other important nutrients for strong and healthy bones: calcium and vitamin D.

“To help with better sleep, the first nutrient I focus on is magnesium. It’s one of the body’s essential relaxants. It also helps to de-stress us, and that goes hand-in-hand in with deep, good quality sleep." – Gabriela

What are the signs you might need more magnesium?

Magnesium plays a huge role in our daily health, so signs of deficiency can vary.
Health is complex and there can be multiple reasons behind what we’re feeling, but here are some signs to watch out for:

– Tiredness, fatigue and feeling weak
– Headaches
– Trouble sleeping
– Mood swings
– Muscle cramps
– Irregular heartbeat

Which foods are best for magnesium?

Foods that are rich sources of magnesium include:
– Dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, cavolo nero and chard
– Nuts and seeds like pumpkin, flax and chia
– Beans
– Chickpeas
– Lentils
– Grains like quinoa, buckwheat and porridge oats
– Bananas
– Dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa or more)

How much magnesium do I need?

Public Health England recommends 270mg of magnesium a day for adult women up to the age of 64 and 300 mg for men. 

The UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey found that most people in the UK just aren’t getting that, with teenage girls worst affected. It doesn’t help that the average amount of magnesium in UK fruit and vegetables has declined over the last century because of intensive farming methods that strip nutrients from the soil. It also gets harder to absorb magnesium as we get older because our stomach acid levels drop.

Are there any downsides to taking a magnesium supplement?

For most of us, magnesium supplements are a really safe way to get to the daily recommended magnesium levels we need. It's always a good idea to try and get more from our diet, but we can’t always do that, and a good magnesium supplement helps us top up.

If you have a medical condition or are taking prescribed medication, you should always talk to your doctor before taking a magnesium supplement. This is especially true if you have a kidney condition. Magnesium can also affect how some medicines get absorbed by the body, including some varieties of antibiotics and statins. 

What kind of magnesium supplement should I take?

Magnesium supplements come different formulations, and some them are are easier for the body to absorb than others.

Magnesium oxide – The most common magnesium supplement, this formulation is a heavy hitter in magnesium content but can be a troublemaker for your gut. It’s often used for constipation relief, but unless that’s helpful for you, it might not be your best choice. Plus, it needs stomach acid to work, and if you’re using anti-acids, it might not absorb well.

Magnesium citrate – This popular formulation pairs magnesium with citric acid to make it easy for your body to absorb. Another go-to for digestion support, it’s gentler than magnesium oxide but still can have a laxative effect at higher doses. Taken in moderation, it can help to maintain healthy magnesium levels.

Magnesium bisglycinate – The VIP of magnesium, this mimics the way plants store magnesium, bounding with amino acids in a natural organic complex. This complex allows the magnesium to get absorbed quickly and very gently via the gut. Plus, it sticks around longer in your body, to be used when you really need it.

“If you’re waking up in the middle of the night and can’t sleep because your mind is racing, I'd definitely recommend trying a really good source of magnesium. I love magnesium bisglycinate." – Gabriela

You'll find magnesium bisglycinate in: Magnesium

Who is Gabriela Peacock?
A former model, double Sunday Times bestselling author and A-list nutritional therapist (clients include Princess Beatrice, Joan Collins and James Blunt), Gabriela Peacock is a name people trust for health advice.

"The reason why I got into nutrition was all the irresponsible food myths I was exposed to while I was modelling,” she says. “I believe in balance. We don’t have to be perfect, but we can do things to help take care of ourselves.” After qualifying as a nutritional therapist with a degree in Health Science from the University of Westminster and a diploma in Naturopathic Nutrition, she set up her first clinic in 2012.

To help more people than she could in her clinic alone, she created GP Nutrition to simplify the way we shop for supplements. Results-driven and formulated using the finest essential minerals, vitamins and superfoods to nourish from within, the range helps optimise everything from immunity to sleep, energy, gut health and weight loss. 

Find out more about Gabriela and GP Nutrition