Supplements are a popular staple for many. While eating a healthy diet is the best way to get the proper nutrients, some people take supplements to ensure they get essential vitamins and minerals on a daily basis. For example, magnesium supplements are supposed to improve athletic performance, promote heart health and even reduce Body Mass Index (BMI). So we reached out to an expert to find out if, in fact, taking a magnesium supplement can help speed up weight loss and get all the details.
What is magnesium and does it help with weight loss?
“Magnesium is a cofactor involved in more than 300 enzymatic reactions that regulate body systems including blood pressure, blood sugar, muscle and nerve function, and bone health,” explains Jessica G. Anderson, MS, Dt.P., CSSD, LD, ACSM EP-Ccertified specialist in sports dietetics by Top Nutrition Coaching.
Magnesium supplements can help with weight loss, especially if you have low magnesium levels. However, Anderson advocates for a “food-first” approach. In other words, maximize your intake of magnesium-rich foods! This includes adding foods like legumes, dark leafy greens, whole greens, seeds, and nuts to your shopping cart.
Anderson explains: “While these foods are rich in magnesium, they also contain a wide range of essential nutrients to support optimal health and well-being, including dietary fiber, a prebiotic that feeds the good bacteria in the gut, reducing chronic low-grade inflammation that affects glucose metabolism.”
Supplements can help you increase your magnesium levels to the recommended daily allowance, but they aren’t enough to trigger weight loss. Instead, Anderson recommends “considering all healthy eating, active living, and stress management options to maintain a healthy weight. Correcting poor eating and lifestyle habits while temporarily taking magnesium supplements can be an inexpensive but valuable tool to promote optimal health and well-being.”
How much magnesium do you need daily?
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for magnesium for people aged 31 and over is 320 mg for women and 420 mg for men. People aged 19 to 30 are recommended to take 400 mg (men) and 310 mg (women).
Anderson notes that taking a small dose of 200 to 300 mg of magnesium once or twice a day can help increase magnesium levels.
“The current Western diet contains only 30 to 50 percent of the recommended daily intake of magnesium due to high consumption of processed foods, demineralized water, and low amounts of vegetables and legumes often grown in magnesium-deficient soils,” Anderson says.
What does this mean? It seems that we are not consuming enough magnesium in general.
Anderson points out that in populations with low magnesium status, magnesium supplementation may indirectly promote weight loss by improving gut health and insulin sensitivity. “Optimal magnesium status contributes to post-receptor insulin signaling involved in glucose uptake into the cell, thereby improving energy metabolism,” she explains. “With improved glucose regulation, both gut structure and diversity are improved.”
As with anything related to your health and wellness, it’s always a good idea to consult your doctor to find out what’s best for you. Anderson warns, “Unabsorbed magnesium promotes intestinal motility, which can lead to nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping. Additionally, magnesium supplementation may interfere with certain medications, including bisphosphonates and antibiotics.”
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Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is the Associate Editor of Mind + Body at Eat This, Not That!, overseeing the M+B channel and providing readers with engaging topics on fitness, wellness, and self-care. Learn more about Alexa
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