When analyzing an athlete's diet, we commonly focus on whether energy intake is adequate and whether they consume an appropriate amount of macronutrients. In other words, we evaluate whether they ingest the necessary calories and whether the distribution of these calories among fats, proteins, and carbohydrates is optimal. These are the main “building blocks” on which to base our diet. However, a diet balanced in these aspects can still be a deficient diet, and we must not forget a key element: micronutrients.
Micronutrients are elements that we ingest in our diet and that do not provide energy directly – as macronutrients do, including fats, carbohydrates, and proteins – but rather help various metabolic reactions to take place. This is the case of the famous vitamins and minerals. We all know that a diet low in vitamins can have significant consequences for health and performance. However, the role of minerals often goes unnoticed, especially that of some like magnesium.
The importance of magnesium for health
Although minerals such as iron or calcium have a greater prominence and have been widely studied both in the field of health and performance, magnesium has traditionally enjoyed less prominence. However, this mineral is also very important, being necessary for the proper functioning of cardiovascular, immune, and hormonal responses.1 Therefore, the main international institutions recommend consuming at least 400 – 420 mg per day for men and 310 – 320 mg for women, with higher requirements in certain cases such as lactation.
Although a balanced diet is often sufficient to meet the requirements for most micronutrients, including magnesium, there is surprising data regarding magnesium deficiency in the population. For example, a study conducted in various European countries observed that in practically all of them, average intake was below the recommended level (with an average intake of 260 – 270 mg/day in countries such as France or Italy).2 Similar data are found in another study carried out in the United States population, which concluded that nearly half of the population would have a deficient magnesium intake.3 Therefore, monitoring magnesium intake to make dietary changes or include supplementation may be advisable in certain cases.
Magnesium and sport
Like other conditions that increase energy demands (for example, breastfeeding), physical exercise also increases magnesium requirements. For example, a study conducted on almost 200 British Olympic athletes over 8 years observed that at least 22% had experienced magnesium deficiency on at least one occasion.4 This data can be highly relevant, since in addition to having important functions in health, magnesium also influences numerous processes related to sports performance. For example, magnesium is necessary for the proper functioning of muscle contraction and relaxation, as well as for anabolic processes (that is, muscle creation and regeneration) to occur. In fact, magnesium levels have been linked to testosterone, one of the main anabolic hormones, as well as to strength and muscle mass levels.5 And although magnesium is mainly important in people with deficiencies of this micronutrient, such as older adults, it has also been shown to be important in athletes. For example, a study on basketball, volleyball, and handball players – who, by the way, again generally had magnesium deficiency — observed a correlation between the levels of this micronutrient and values of muscle strength and jump.6 This does not necessarily mean that more magnesium is always better, but rather that having low levels of this mineral is probably negative for performance. Confirming these results, another study in women showed that the reduction of magnesium levels was associated with higher oxygen consumption and a higher heart rate during sub-maximal loads; that is, an exercise that was supposed to be "light" felt harder to them.7
Therefore, it is advisable to avoid magnesium deficiency in any population, including athletes. For this purpose, magnesium supplementation could be beneficial, at least in those cases where the diet is not sufficient to meet basic requirements. Indeed, if we look at studies that have supplemented athletes who already had an optimal status of this mineral with magnesium, no consistent benefits in sports performance are found, as shown by a meta-analysis that included 14 studies.8 However, in physically demanding situations, it is more likely that we will have deficiencies in various micronutrients, including magnesium, and therefore there is a higher likelihood of finding benefits from supplementation.For example, a study carried out in a physically demanding situation such as the Vuelta a España showed that those cyclists who supplemented with magnesium (400 mg per day for 3 weeks of competition) compared to those who did not supplement, showed that the group that did not supplement experienced a greater drop in magnesium levels during the competition, indicating that supplementation was effective in preventing the decrease of this mineral.9 Furthermore, the group that did not supplement had higher levels of myoglobin in the blood, a marker of muscle damage.9
Conclusions
Magnesium has important functions for both health and performance, and therefore adequate intake of this mineral is essential. In the general population, a consumption of at least 400 – 420 mg per day is recommended for men and 310 – 320 mg for women. However, in situations of high physical load (such as those occasionally faced by athletes), these requirements could increase. This micronutrient is generally obtained through the diet, but as we have seen, still a large part of the population, especially athletes, consume deficient amounts of this mineral. Therefore, in some cases, magnesium supplementation may be beneficial to prevent a deficiency of this mineral.
Author
Pedro Valenzuela from Fissac.com
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References
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3. Rosanoff A, Weaver CM, Rude RK. Suboptimal magnesium status in the United States: Are the health consequences underestimated? Nutr Rev. 2012;70(3):153-164. doi:10.1111/j.1753-4887.2011.00465.x
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5. Valenzuela PL, Morales JS, Emanuele E, Pareja-Galeano H, Lucia A. Supplements with purported effects on muscle mass and strength. Eur J Nutr. 2019;58(8). doi:10.1007/s00394-018-1882-z
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7. Lukaski HC, Nielsen FH. Dietary magnesium depletion affects metabolic responses during submaximal exercise in postmenopausal women. Hum Nutr Metab. 2002;132(January):930-935.
8. Wang R, Chen C, Liu W, et al. The effect of magnesium supplementation on muscle fitness: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Magnes Res. 2017;30(4):120-132. doi:10.1684/mrh.2018.0430
9. Córdova A, Mielgo-Ayuso J, Fernandez-Lázaro D, Roche E, Caballero-García A. Impact of magnesium supplementation in muscle damage of professional cyclists competing in a stage race. Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1-12. doi:10.3390/nu11081927
