How much magnesium should I take daily?
How much magnesium should I take daily? Good question but that depends on many factors!
The standard recommendation according to the nutrition center is 350 mg per day for men and 300 mg per day for women. So this is what you should get in total from your diet or diet combined with magnesium supplements.
This is not an individual optimal dosage but an average minimum dosage for the body to function. Many of the recommended daily amounts of vitamins and minerals were established years ago. For example, in America, the recommended daily amounts for magnesium, which are not much different from the nutrition center, were set in 1997. The average body weight of men and women then was much lower. This, of course, is an important factor in such recommendations. But stress, for example, is also an important factor in a person's magnesium status. It is not a controversial conclusion that since 1997 external and internal stressors of the modern world have only increased.
A 2021 publication titled: Perspective: US Adult Magnesium Requirements Need Updating: Impacts of Rising Body Weights and Data-Derived Variance. Confirms the problem of an outdated recommendation.
Therefore, a weight-based calculation seems to be a better option than a standard recommendation. A good calculation you can use is 3-5 times your body weight in milligrams of magnesium.
The calculation does rely on weight in lbs (1 kg = 2.2 LBS).
If you weigh 80 kilo then this corresponds to 176 lbs (80 x 2.2).
3 x 176 = 528 mg magnesium
4 x 176 = 704 mg magnesium
5 x 176 = 880 mg magnesium
These more personalized amounts of magnesium are significantly higher than the general recommendations and well worth trying if you are looking for optimal magnesium intake.
The tricky part remains that many factors affect magnesium status. If you have symptoms that fit a magnesium deficiency, consider a red blood cell magnesium analysis. This will give you clear insight about where you stand and you can continue to measure further progress.
Here are some important factors to consider for optimal magnesium status:
- Stress - The amount of stress you experience affects the "Magnesium Burn Rate" or BMR. The more stress you experience in intensity and how much, the more magnesium your body consumes. Stressors can range from mental-emotional to food intolerances to exposure to toxins etc..
- Hydration - Because magnesium is a hydrophilic element, it needs sufficient water to function. Chronic dehydration seems to be more common than we think and especially the elderly seem to get it more often.
- Vitamin B6 - To support the absorption of magnesium into the cells, you need sufficient vitamin B6. Now let it be that liver is rich in several B vitamins including vitamin B6.
- Spread out - Minerals are better absorbed if you spread them out over the day. The same is true for magnesium. Food is spread automatically, but with a magnesium supplement you can take this into account. If you drink enough water with every staggered intake you also cover # 2 well.
- Co-factors - Make sure that if you are taking a magnesium supplement that you are also getting other minerals and trace elements, together and proportionally to the magnesium. This supports not only the function but also the absorption and retention of magnesium.
Why the magnesium from Paleo Powders
Paleo Powders Natural Magnesium is composed of 4 main ingredients, including magnesium oxide monohydrate, Ulva lactuca, purple bamboo salt and phytoplankton.
- Magnesium oxide monohydrate is a natural magnesium source sourced from the ocean. It is considered a superior form of magnesium because of its high bioavailability, meaning it can be easily absorbed by the body.
- Ulva lactuca, also known as sea lettuce, is a green alga commonly eaten as food. It contains high levels of vitamins and minerals and can contribute to healthy overall well-being and digestive health.
- Purple bamboo salt is a unique type of salt with a long history. It is traditionally produced and used in traditional Korean medicine and is rich in minerals.
- Phytoplankton is a microscopic organism that has influenced the evolution of life on Earth. It is a key figure in ocean food ecosystems and plays an important role in the global biosphere. These key ingredients work together to optimize magnesium absorption and improve health.