How Magnesium Can Benefit Runners

Do you know the difference between a fast marathoner and a slow marathoner? According to a highly publicized study this year in the Nutrition Journal, one element is micronutrient and intake of the mineral.

Specifically, the said study indicates, marathon runners, consuming adequate unsaturated fat, iron, potassium, and magnesium amounts had better performances during a race, not to mention better heart health.

Experts say we may be well aware of the amount of fat, iron, and potassium in our diet. But, do you ever recall the last time you considered including magnesium in your regular in your diet?

It appears, as indicated in this new study that a small amount of mineral may play a significant role "in the form of electrolytes."

We might be used to paying attention to our sweat, as well as how we should replace the sodium we lose after a perspiring exercise.

What a lot of people don't know is that there are other electrolytes lost through sweat such as potassium, magnesium, and chloride.

Essentially, magnesium tends to fly under the radar as an electrolyte or mineral. However, it plays a vital role in a lot of processes translating to athletic health which includes metabolism and energy balance, oxygen and acceptance of electrolyte, and contributing to the decline in muscle cramping. Magnesium, the study shows, might be very essential too, for heart health.

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How Would You Know If You are Consuming Adequate Magnesium?

Other than the role magnesium plays in many muscular processes, vigorous workout increases sweat and loss of urinary magnesium, too.

According to the study authors, this means that there is "a need for it to increase by as much as by 10 to 20 percent" as the levels of physical activity rise.

Even a bordering deficiency in magnesium may weaken performance and intensify the impacts of oxidative stress on the body.

Some evidence also shows that deficiency in magnesium is linked to factors that stimulate migraine attacks. However, according to the National Institutes of Health, there are only limited studies behind the use of magnesium supplementation for the prevention of such headaches.

Recommended Magnesium Intake for Female Adults

The NIH has recommended that the daily magnesium consumption for female adults should be from 310 to 320 milligrams each day, with increased dosages for pregnant women.

Adult males, on the other hand, are recommended to take from 400 to 420 milligrams each day. However, athletes may develop a higher risk of deficiency compared to non-athletes. Some studies, like the one conducted in 2006, presents that consumption of fewer than 220 mg each day for women, and 260 mg each day for men may lead to a deficient status.

While it is possible to obtain sufficient amounts through food, the study indicates, "This needs consuming a nutrient-dense balanced diet.

Magnesium is greatly distributed in plant and animal foods and usually exists in foods rich in fiber. The best sources of food for this include seeds like pumpkin and chia seeds specifically have high in magnesium levels, nuts, leafy greens, whole wheat bread, potatoes, brown rice, yogurt, and fortified cereals, among others.

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The Need to Take a Magnesium Supplement

Like any other mineral, magnesium is available in supplemental form, too, if you cannot meet the adequate intake by means of your diet alone.

While supplementation may be advantageous for individuals who are already experiencing deficiency, supplement intake has been shown to enhance physical performance in people with sufficient magnesium levels continuously.

A study the International Journal of Sports Nutrition published tested on marathon runners who did not have a deficiency in magnesium, the effects of 365 mg of magnesium supplements.

Compared to the placebo group that was not given any supplementation, the marathoners that were not given supplementation were not seen a rise in either muscle or blood magnesium levels.

The study authors, therefore, found no measurable impacts on the performance in a marathon race, the degree or rate of muscle impairment, or the muscles' ability to recover from exercise.

The bottom line, according to researchers, was that, unless one is "clinically deficient" it seems that supplemental magnesium is not essential.

Commenting in relation to their study, the authors also said, it may be more practical to concentrate on dietary intake through foods rich in magnesium.

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