10-20% More Magnesium Supports Muscle Recovery in Athletes?

Does magnesium supplementation reduce muscle soreness across various physical activities?

a review paper published in the Journal of Translational Medicine explored the effects of magnesium supplementation on muscle soreness across different physical activities.

Findings:
*Reduction in muscle soreness: magnesium significantly reduced muscle soreness and improves feelings of recovery in subjects.
*Performance enhancement: positive effects on performance metrics, including improved blood glucose levels and reduced muscle damage markers.
*Protective effects: regular magnesium intake showed a protective effect on muscle integrity during intense physical activities, such as professional cycling and team sports.

Dosage and timing: The review suggests that individuals engaged in intense physical activities should consider a magnesium dosage 10-20% higher than the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), ideally taken in capsule form 2 hours before training.  Of note, information regarding the effectiveness of this specific dose and time is very scarce. It was also advised to maintain magnesium levels within the recommended range during the off-season.

Why magnesium is important for recovery: magnesium, an essential intracellular cation, is crucial for numerous biochemical reactions, including energy production, neuronal activity, cardiac function, and muscle contraction. Magnesium deficiency can impair physical performance and exacerbate muscle soreness post-exercise.

What magnesium is best for muscle recovery: tissue distribution data would suggest magnesium citrate is best for muscle recovery. However, long-term magnesium intake far outweighs acute tissue distribution after a single dose of magnesium.

What are magnesium-rich foods: 

Nuts and Seeds:
Almonds: 80 mg per ounce
Cashews: 74 mg per ounce
Pumpkin Seeds: 150 mg per ounce
Chia Seeds: 95 mg per ounce
Flaxseeds: 40 mg per tablespoon

Leafy Greens:
Spinach: 157 mg per cooked cup
Swiss Chard: 150 mg per cooked cup
Kale: 30 mg per cooked cup

Legumes:
Black Beans: 120 mg per cooked cup
Lentils: 71 mg per cooked cup
Chickpeas: 78 mg per cooked cup
Edamame: 99 mg per cooked cup

Whole Grains:
Quinoa: 118 mg per cooked cup
Brown Rice: 86 mg per cooked cup
Oats: 61 mg per cooked cup
Barley: 35 mg per cooked cup

Sources:
PMID: 29637897
PMID: 34111673
PMID: 38970118

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Do physically active people and athletes need more magnesium. What I'm going to do right now is take a look at recently published systematic review that outlines suggested magnesium intakes and type for athletes. So stick around until the end if you want to catch that suggestion Now. Magnesium itself has turned into somewhat of a buzz term of late, seemingly taking off as one of, if not the most searched essential mineral. It's pretty common to see phrases like magnesium plays a role in over 600 biochemical reactions in the body, so on and so forth, but you're likely rarely told specifically what those biochemical reactions consist of. Well, magnesium plays direct and indirect roles in energy production, neuronal activity, cardiac function, glucose metabolism and muscle contraction. That last one's not really a surprise, considering that one-third of whole body magnesium is stored inside of skeletal muscle. Again no surprise, then, that fatigue during exercise can be amplified in individuals who have a diet low in magnesium. Actually, a muscle's calcium transport system that regulates muscle contraction is reliant on magnesium inside the muscle. There are actually compartmental shifts of magnesium that take place during exercise. For instance, high-intensity exercise produces a short state of hypermagnesemia, which is elevated magnesium circulating in the bloodstream. It's been theorized that this is caused by muscle damage and breakdown resulting from high-intensity exercise. In contrast, submaximal or lower-intensity exercise drops blood magnesium levels shortly following exercise blood magnesium levels shortly following exercise. Now, when exercise is prolonged, decreased magnesium levels in skeletal muscle might prevent calcium from being released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum of muscle, which leads to reduced performance and possibly post-exercise muscle soreness. Because of that, magnesium might play a significant role in maintaining physical performance and mitigating things like muscle soreness, which of course affects physical performance of all kinds in athletes, but also average physically active non-athletes.

Speaker 1: 2:13

Now this very topic was explored in a recent systematic review published in the Journal of Translational Medicine. The citation itself can be found in the description of this video. The researchers' aim was to review the effects of magnesium supplementation on muscle soreness across different types of physical activities. The research was kind of interesting because it focused exclusively on magnesium supplementation, without the interference of other substances. In other words, it was magnesium by itself, without other types of supplementation. The review only consisted of four studies, including predominantly a male population, age 19 to 27 years old.

Speaker 1: 2:53

Key findings from these studies indicated that magnesium supplementation did significantly reduce muscle soreness and improve performance and recovery. For instance, one study focusing on eccentric bench press sessions showed a notable reduction in muscle soreness ratings at 24 hours, 36 hours and 48 hours post exercise, along with enhanced feelings of recovery in men and women who were taking 350 milligrams of supplemental magnesium glycinate. Another study on long-distance runners demonstrated that 500 milligrams of magnesium oxide for seven days in runners with low magnesium in their diet reduced exercise-induced stress, improved blood glucose levels and even alleviated muscle soreness. Studies included on team sport athletes, like basketball players, revealed that 400 milligrams of supplemental magnesium offered protective effects against muscle damage over the course of the entire competitive season. However, the authors of this study didn't state what type of magnesium was being used.

Speaker 1: 3:58

Now, an important aspect highlighted by the review is the recommended dosage and timing of magnesium intake. The authors suggest that individuals engaged in intense physical activities should consume magnesium at a dosage 10 to 20% higher than the recommended dietary allowance, considering that the RDA. For males 19 years and older, this approximate to a range of 440 to 504 milligrams of elemental magnesium daily. In females 19 years and older, this approximates to a range of 341 to 384 milligrams of elemental magnesium daily. In females 19 years and older, this approximates to a range of 341 to 384 milligrams of elemental magnesium daily. Now, keep in mind that these recommendations were suggested as theoretical, given what information is available right now, which is scarce. What's even scarcer would be information around the timing and type of magnesium supplementation.

Speaker 1: 4:50

Now this review does suggest magnesium citrate as a good option for magnesium distribution in skeletal muscle. If we go outside this study and look at bioavailability and tissue distribution data on different magnesium salts, then we can theorize that a form like magnesium citrate would be favorable for muscle soreness. As a systematic review published in 2021 showed, magnesium citrate accumulates in skeletal muscle higher than other forms looked at, like magnesium glycinate, taurate or acetyltorate. Now note that most tissue distribution studies like that are almost always carried out in rodents. In this regard, magnesium citrate is a suitable option for magnesium supplementation in physically active people and athletes.

Speaker 1: 5:36

However, do note that acute magnesium tissue distribution after taking supplemental magnesium once likely means nothing over the long haul. If you're getting in enough magnesium from any kind of magnesium salt or food source over long periods of time, your body's going to distribute magnesium to tissues that need it over the long run. So bear in mind that magnesium supplementation in athletes and active people will primarily benefit those who are not getting enough magnesium through their diet alone, which may be approximately half of the United States population. Far more research is needed to determine specific protocols around magnesium supplementation for performance-related reasons, but it does stand to reason that highly active individuals would do well with more magnesium compared to sex and age-max sedentary individuals. Now, that's all for me, but thank you all for allowing me the opportunity to communicate with you through this medium. Until next time.