January 2025
Magnesium is one of the essential minerals your body needs to survive and thrive. Your body needs sufficient magnesium to control nerves and muscles, maintain healthy blood sugar and blood pressure levels, and make bone and protein.
Learn more about who’s most at risk for magnesium deficiency, how to get enough magnesium in your diet, the benefits of consuming enough magnesium, and how much magnesium you need per day.
Magnesium Deficiency
Those most at risk of magnesium deficiency are men over 70 and teenagers. People with malabsorption disorders (such as celiac, Crohn’s disease, and inflammatory bowel disease) are more likely to be deficient because their digestive systems don’t absorb nutrients well. Some medications (like proton pump inhibitors) can also cause magnesium deficiency.
Not getting enough magnesium for an extended period can cause a variety of symptoms, including:
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Weakness and fatigue
Sources of Magnesium
Magnesium is found in many foods, including:
- Green vegetables (e.g., one cup of cooked spinach has 157 mg)
- Nuts and seeds (e.g., one ounce of pumpkin seeds has 156 mg while one ounce of almonds has 79 mg)
- Beans (e.g., one cup of cooked black beans has 120 mg)
- Whole grains (e.g., one cup of cooked brown rice has 85 mg)
- Dairy (e.g., one cup of full-fat milk has 63 mg while one cup of low- fat yogurt has 42 mg)
- Some fruits (e.g., one cup of sliced banana has 41 mg)
Other foods, like breakfast cereals, are fortified with magnesium. Read the nutritional label of packaged foods to see if there’s added magnesium — and how much is in a serving.
Benefits of Magnesium
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there are health problems for which ensuring adequate magnesium intake may be helpful, like high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, migraine headaches, and osteoporosis.
While the evidence is not yet conclusive and the effects are small, preliminary research suggests that eating a diet high in magnesium (including fruits, veggies, and low-fat dairy) or taking a magnesium supplement may help:
- Lower blood pressure.
- Decrease the risk of developing diabetes in people who are overweight (BMI of 25+).
- Reduce the frequency of migraines.
- Reduce bone loss and increase bone mineral density in post- menopausal women.
U.S. RDA for Magnesium
The U.S. recommended daily allowance (RDA) for magnesium in adults depends on sex (men need more than women) and whether a woman is pregnant. An adult male needs 400 mg to 420 mg per day of magnesium, while an adult female only needs 310 mg to 320 mg (350 mg to 360 mg per day if she’s pregnant).
The NIH cautions that excessive magnesium supplementation — often from consuming 5,000+ mg of magnesium per day — can cause magnesium toxicity, a potentially fatal condition. Magnesium isn’t found just in some multivitamins and supplements but also in some laxatives and antacids. Be sure to read the labels of all vitamins, supplements, antacids, and laxatives carefully to avoid inadvertently consuming a very large dose of magnesium.
If you have any questions about vitamins and supplements, including how they might interact with over-the-counter or prescription medications, ask your local pharmacist for help.
