Magnesium is a mineral essential to basic human function, particularly for the heart, muscles, and nerves. It may also play a role in supporting a healthy weight by influencing several processes involved in weight loss.\n<\/p>\n
Here are some ways magnesium may help with weight management.<\/p>\n
Magnesium helps enhance your body’s response to insulin, a hormone that helps move glucose (sugar) into cells. When your body does not respond to insulin, glucose builds up in the blood. This condition is called insulin resistance<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n With insulin resistance, your body makes more insulin to offset high blood sugar levels.\u00a0High insulin levels may increase body fat storage.\n<\/p>\n Magnesium’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels may prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes. When your blood sugar levels are balanced, you are less likely to have extreme hunger and cravings.<\/p>\n Magnesium stimulates the small intestine to release a hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK). CCK helps suppress hunger and reduce food intake.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n By increasing CCK levels, magnesium may promote feelings of fullness. It might also prevent overeating and decrease body weight.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Magnesium plays a role in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) metabolism. ATP helps store and transfer energy in cells.\n<\/p>\n ATP must bind to magnesium to become active and form a magnesium-ATP complex. This complex facilitates metabolism<\/a>, so magnesium helps burn more energy.\n<\/p>\n Magnesium also affects how your intestines process fats. When it binds with fats, magnesium forms soaps that your body cannot absorb easily. It digests and uses less fat, which decreases calorie intake.<\/p>\n Long-term inflammation is one of the underlying causes of weight gain and obesity<\/a>.\u00a0High levels of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) are common in people with obesity.\n<\/p>\n Magnesium has been shown to lower obesity-related inflammation. It can regulate inflammatory pathways and decrease CRP levels.<\/p>\n The standard Western diet consists of a high intake of processed foods and demineralized water and a low intake of legumes and vegetables. Nearly 50% of people in the United States do not get enough magnesium.\n<\/p>\n Low magnesium levels can contribute to obesity. Magnesium-rich foods and supplements have been shown to reduce body fat and obesity risk.\n<\/p>\n Not getting enough magnesium can also result from conditions that affect absorption. Examples include celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease<\/a> (IBD).\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Aim to get the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for magnesium to prevent magnesium deficiency<\/a> and support weight loss.\n<\/p>\n The RDA for magnesium in milligrams depends on age, sex, and health status, such as:\n<\/p>\n Age 14-18 years 19-30 years 31 years and older You can get magnesium in your diet<\/a> by consuming foods like:\n<\/p>\n Pumpkin seeds: 156 milligrams (mg) per 1 ounce (oz)Chia seeds: 111 mg per 1 ozAlmonds: 80 mg per 1 ozBoiled spinach: 78 mg per \u00bd cupCashews: 74 mg per 1 ozSoy milk: 61 mg per 1 cupBlack beans: 60 mg per \u00bd cupEdamame: 50 mg per \u00bd cupPeanut butter: 49 mg per 2 tablespoons (tbsp)Potato, with skin: 43 mg per 3.5 oz<\/p>\n It is best to obtain magnesium from food sources, but supplements are also available in various forms.\n<\/p>\n Your body easily absorbs supplemental magnesium<\/a> in forms like:\n<\/p>\n Magnesium aspartateMagnesium chlorideMagnesium citrateMagnesium lactate<\/p>\n Before starting a supplement, check the label to ensure the dosage does not exceed the safe limit of 350 milligrams.\n<\/p>\n High doses of magnesium are associated with side effects like:\n<\/p>\n DiarrheaNauseaStomach cramps<\/p>\n Magnesium-rich foods or supplements\u2014along with a balanced diet, physical activity, and good sleep\u2014may support weight loss. This mineral is essential for various bodily processes that may support weight loss, such as appetite control and blood sugar regulation.\n<\/p>\n Thanks for your feedback!<\/p>\n Health.com uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process<\/a> to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.<\/p>\n National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. Magnesium – health professional fact sheet<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hosseini Dastgerdi A, Ghanbari Rad M, Soltani N. The therapeutic effects of magnesium in insulin secretion and insulin resistance<\/a>. Adv Biomed Res. 2022;11:54. doi:10.4103\/abr.abr_366_21<\/p>\n Freeman AM, Acevedo LA, Pennings N. Insulin resistance<\/a>. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2023.<\/p>\n Kolb H, Kempf K, R\u00f6hling M, Martin S. Insulin: Too much of a good thing is bad<\/a>. BMC Med. 2020;18(1):224. doi:10.1186s12916-020-01688-6<\/p>\n Wyatt P, Berry SE, Finlayson G, et al. Postprandial glycaemic dips predict appetite and energy intake in healthy individuals<\/a>. Nat Metab. 2021;3(4):523-529. doi:10.1038\/s42255-021-00383-x<\/p>\n Kreft S, \u0160trukelj B. Influence of magnesium sulphate on cholecystokinin, hunger, and obesity<\/a>. Progr Nutr. 2021;23(3). doi.org\/10.23751\/pn.v23i3.9081<\/p>\n Lu L, Chen C, Yang K, et al. Magnesium intake is inversely associated with risk of obesity in a 30-year prospective follow-up study among American young adults<\/a>. Eur J Nutr. 2020;59(8):3745-3753. doi:10.1007\/s00394-020-02206-3<\/p>\n Tardy AL, Pouteau E, Marquez D, Yilmaz C, Scholey A. Vitamins and minerals for energy, fatigue and cognition: A narrative review of the biochemical and clinical evidence<\/a>. Nutrients. 2020;12(1):228. doi:10.3390\/nu12010228<\/p>\n Ellulu MS, Patimah I, Khaza’ai H, Rahmat A, Abed Y. Obesity and inflammation: The linking mechanism and the complications<\/a>. Arch Med Sci. 2017;13(4):851-863. doi:10.5114\/aoms.2016.58928<\/p>\n Khanna D, Khanna S, Khanna P, Kahar P, Patel BM. Obesity: A chronic low-grade inflammation and its markers<\/a>. Cureus. 2022;14(2):e22711. doi:10.7759\/cureus.22711<\/p>\n Veronese N, Pizzol D, Smith L, Dominguez LJ, Barbagallo M. Effect of magnesium supplementation on inflammatory parameters: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials<\/a>. Nutrients. 2022;14(3):679. doi:10.3390\/nu14030679<\/p>\n Piuri G, Zocchi M, Della Porta M, et al. Magnesium in obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes<\/a>. Nutrients. 2021;13(2):320. doi:10.3390\/nu13020320<\/p>\n
\nMen
\nWomen
\nPregnant
\nBreastfeeding<\/p>\n
\n410
\n360
\n400
\n360<\/p>\n
\n400
\n310
\n350
\n310<\/p>\n
\n420
\n320
\n360
\n320<\/p>\n