Defining the Human Requirement for Magnesium

Health Benefits

Magnesium (Mg²⁺) is important for many processes in the body, including regulating muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure and making protein, bone and DNA.  A normal human adult body contains about 24 grams of magnesium and over half resides in in the bones.  The amount of this essential mineral you need depends on multiple factors including but not limited to gender, age, race, body weight, energy needs, and intakes of other mineral, particularly sodium and calcium.  

Approximately three-fourths of the population in the United States has been shown to consume less than the recommended intake for magnesium.  Legumes, nuts, seeds, milk, whole grains and green leafy vegetables are all sources in the diet.  In the short term, getting too little does not produce obvious symptoms.  When healthy people have low intakes, the kidneys help retain magnesium by limiting its loss in the urine.  Low intakes over time can lead to deficiency.  Subclinical deficiency has been shown to be a common occurrence in healthy populations and is associated with an increase in low-grade chronic inflammation.  This can contribute to the development of chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, type-2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and migraine headaches.

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Our Ongoing Research

Assessing the Impact of Magnesium Supplementation on Athletic Performance and Muscle Mitochondrial Respiration²⁺ (iMg²⁺)

Mg²⁺ Status and Incidence of COVID-19 Infection
We are currently assessing if magnesium status (among other nutritional markers) can influence the risk of contracting COVID-19.

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Publications

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis to Estimate a Reference Range for Circulating Ionized Magnesium Concentrations in Adult Populations
2023. Advances in Nutrition

Relationship Between Short-term Self-reported Dietary Magnesium Intake and Whole Blood Ionized Magnesium (iMg2+) or Serum Magnesium (s-Mg) Concentrations
2023. Annals of Medicine

Recommendation on an Updated Standardization of Serum Magnesium Reference Ranges.
2022. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
On behalf of the MaGNet Global Magnesium Project.

Circulating iMg²⁺ as a Measure of Supplement Bioavailability: Results from a Pilot Study for Randomized Clinical Trial.
2020. Nutrients.

Combating COVID-19 and Building Immune Resilience: A Potential Role for Magnesium Nutrition?
2020. Journal of the American College of Nutrition

Perspective: The Case for an Evidence-Based Reference Interval for Serum Magnesium: The Time Has Come.
2016. Advances in Nutrition

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Additional Resources on Mg²⁺

Center for Magnesium Education and Research (CMER)

International Society for the Development of Magnesium Research

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