Magnesium is an essential mineral that plays a role in a multitude of bodily processes, from supporting your immune system to maintaining normal muscle and nerve function. According to the NHS, men need at least 300mg of magnesium every day. Could magnesium supplementation also boost your muscle mass and power? Recently, researchers decided to find out. Of course, there’s no quick fix to gain muscle strength without working those muscles with resistance training and pumping iron in a gym. Even so, certain things can give you a boost. Let’s take a look at this interesting new study.
The study
In a review published in the International Journal of Molecular Science, researchers set out to assess how taking magnesium supplements affected skeletal muscle health, with a focus on neuromuscular diseases and muscle tissue. The goal was to understand how magnesium supplementation affected muscle growth, atrophy, and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress refers to excess levels of free radicals in the body and an imbalance between antioxidants and harmful free radical molecules.
Researchers looked at 20 studies focusing on the effects of magnesium on oxidative stress regulation, muscle metabolism, sarcopenia, neuromuscular disorders, and inflammatory muscle diseases.
The results
It’s important to note that there were no significant effects in participants with adequate magnesium levels.
The researchers concluded that:
Enhanced muscle strength and mass
Taking magnesium supplements enhanced respiratory function, muscle strength, and muscle mass. Magnesium is protective for your muscles because it assists your cells in producing energy and lowers the level of harmful free radical molecules in your body.
Improved metabolism
This essential mineral helps regulate lipid, glucose, and protein metabolism.
Muscle performance
Sarcopenia is the gradual loss of muscle function, strength, and mass. In adults with sarcopenia, taking magnesium along with exercising regularly increased muscle performance.
Neuromuscular disease
The researchers noted that magnesium could be helpful for neuromuscular diseases by reducing muscle damage, lowering oxidative stress, and assisting muscle repair.
Lower inflammation
In athletes, taking magnesium supplements lowered inflammation in the body and helped with muscle soreness after exercise.
The takeaway
The researchers stated that magnesium plays a positive role when it comes to musculoskeletal health and muscle mass, power, and performance. This electrolyte could be protective for muscle health and prevent muscle atrophy. It could also be an additional tool to help with sarcopenia. The researchers recommend that men get 410-420 mg daily, which is more than what’s recommended by the National Health Service of the UK. Magnesium supplements are available in different forms, such as tablets, pills, and electrolyte powders or droppers.
This new study adds to the mounting research showing the benefits of magnesium. Supplementing magnesium could be a smart move for some, especially for those with lower levels of magnesium and those looking to boost their training efforts and further enhance muscle strength and size. It’s a good idea to check with your healthcare provider before starting supplementation. You can also consume more magnesium in foods like leafy greens, nuts and seeds, dairy, and fish like salmon and mackerel.
