Can Magnesium Supplements Be Vital for Good Gut Health? Why You Might Be Deficient in This Essential Mineral.
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There’s a reason you might be hearing and seeing magnesium supplements pop up everywhere. Magnesium is an essential mineral, the fourth most abundant, involved in 700 bodily reactions. While every cell in the body needs it, we can’t make it.
You've likely been recommended to get on a magnesium supplement, electrolyte or maybe you’ve seen other beverages touting about their magnesium contents.
What makes magnesium essential, and why are there suddenly different supplements everywhere?
The Undiscussed Magnesium Decline: From Rich Soil to Nutrient Desert
Our ancestors consumed significantly more magnesium than we do today, double in fact — and they didn't need supplements to do it. This insane decline isn't because we're eating fundamentally different diets; it's largely because the vitamins and minerals in our soils have drastically declined.
The primary culprit? Modern industrial farming practices, including intensive tilling, mono cropping, and the heavy use of synthetic fertilizers, have systematically stripped our soils of their mineral content. Studies show that in comparing the mineral content of fruits and vegetables from the 1940s to today the declines are alarming. Some vegetables now contain up to 80% less magnesium than they did 80 years ago!
When plants grow in magnesium-poor soil, they simply cannot absorb what isn't there. We may have “perfect produce” in our grocery aisles, but most of them produce a fraction of the nutritional value they once provided.
The closer to harvest that we consume our fruits and vegetables, the more nutrients we gain from them. So consume locally and, if you feel like you have the space and time, growing your own garden of herbs, fruits, or vegetables is ideal.
We are in a Nutrition Deficiency Crisis
This agricultural shift may have helped us feed more mouths, but on the other hand, it created a silent, nutritional crisis. Research suggests that over 50% of Americans don't meet the recommended daily intake for magnesium, with some studies suggesting the deficiency rate could be as high as 80% for certain demographics.
Signs of Magnesium Deficiency
- Muscle tightness, cramps, or spasms
- Difficulty relaxing physically or mentally
- Moodiness, irritability, depression, anxiety
- Poor sleep
- Menstrual cramps
- Headaches or migraines
- Irregular heartbeat
- Constipation
- Insulin Resistance, diabetes, type 2 diabetes
- Stubborn weight gain or inflammation
The common thread connecting these range of symptoms is tension—whether physical or mental. Magnesium is nature's relaxation mineral, helping to release unnecessary tension throughout the body. When you're magnesium deficient, your body literally cannot relax properly at the cellular level.
Magnesium Benefits and Functions
Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body, making it one of the most functionally diverse minerals we require. It plays critical roles in:
- Energy production (ATP synthesis)
- DNA and protein synthesis
- Muscle contraction and relaxation
- Nervous system regulation
- Blood glucose control
- Blood pressure regulation
- Bone formation
- Detoxification processes (essential for the liver and endotoxins)
- Hormonal balance
- Regulates neurotransmitters in the brain: serotonin, GABA, and dopamine
- Reduces oxidative stress (the tissue damage that creates inflammation)
In essence, if your cells are doing something important, magnesium is likely involved. This explains why deficiency can manifest in so many different ways across body systems.
Making matters worse, many factors in modern life actively deplete our magnesium stores:
- Chronic stress depletes magnesium.
- Eating sugar, it takes roughly 54 molecules of magnesium to process one molecule of sugar.
- Alcohol and caffeine consumption can drain magnesium reserves.
- Fluoride - so conventional oral care and tap water. It prevents magnesium from reaching the bones.
- Many prescription medications like birth control pills, statins, some antibiotics, and PPIs interfere with magnesium absorption.
The signs of deficiency are often subtle but widespread: muscle cramps, fatigue, irritability, poor sleep, and headaches can all signal inadequate magnesium levels. If you're experiencing these symptoms, especially alongside stubborn weight gain or digestive issues, you have to be mindful about the magnesium supplements you choose.
The Absorption Challenge: Why Most Supplements Fall Short
Not all magnesium supplements are created equal. The bitter truth about most standard magnesium supplements is their extremely poor absorption rate—often as low as 5%. This means that for every 100mg you consume, your body might only utilize 5mg.
If you have gut health issues, stubborn weight gain, or inflammation then you most likely are already experiencing absorption issues.
Bioavailability: The Key to Effective Supplementation
This is where bioavailability becomes crucial. Bioavailability just means how effectively your body can absorb and utilize a nutrient. High bioavailability means that more of the nutrient is actually reaching your bloodstream and cells where it's needed.
There are so many forms of magnesium available. Which magnesium is best?
Magnesium glycinate stands out as the most bioavailable. This is why we use 100mg of magnesium glycinate in both our kiwi lemonade and our hot cocoa - we gotta get it where we can! Most other beverage brands only use ~60mg of magnesium and rarely use bioavailable forms.
This form bonds magnesium to the amino acid glycine, creating a compound that:
- Is gentle on the digestive system (doesn't cause the laxative effect common with cheaper forms)
- Can cross the intestinal membrane more efficiently
- Is better recognized and utilized by the body
- Provides the added benefits of glycine (improved sleep and reduced inflammation)
While many supplement brands use only 50mg of poorly specified "magnesium oxide" or other low-absorption forms, both our kiwi lemonade and our hot cocoa provide 100mg or more of highly bioavailable magnesium glycinate. This difference isn't just about quantity—it's about how much magnesium actually reaches your cells.
Conclusion: Addressing the Modern Magnesium Gap
As our modern lifestyles continue to drain us of our magnesium levels, mindful supplementation is becoming more and more vital. Choosing highly bioavailable forms like magnesium glycinate and ensuring adequate dosage, can support you in overcoming the absorption barriers that prevent many people from resolving their deficiency.
Remember: if you're feeling tight, stuck, crampy, or moody, your body may be signaling a magnesium shortfall. In our modern nutritional landscape, addressing this common deficiency isn't a luxury—it's a necessity for optimal function and wellbeing.
Sources:
Historical magnesium intake vs. modern intake
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5786912/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27933574/
Soil depletion and mineral content decline
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07315724.2004.10719409
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0889157516300418
Magnesium deficiency prevalence
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22364157/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6316205/
Factors that deplete magnesium
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5926493/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7836619/
Magnesium absorption rates
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2407766/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455825/
Connection between gut health and nutrient absorption
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6682904/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28466096/
Magnesium glycinate benefits
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28445426/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29679349/
Magnesium's role in body functions
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455825/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25540137/
Symptoms of magnesium deficiency
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5637834/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23981537/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22364157/
Magnesium and weight management
