What Are the Benefits of Supplementing Magnesium for Men? More Than You Think
The Bottom Line
Magnesium is a mineral responsible for many body functions. In men, research has found that it can regulate testosterone levels, promote heart health, prevent migraine attacks, improve exercise performance, reduce symptoms of depression, and improve sleep.
If you’re aiming for optimal health, you gotta make sure you’re taking all the necessary nutrients to meet your health goals. However, unless you’re a health guru, trying to find out what every nutrient does for your body can be overwhelming. That said, we’ve saved you some time by sharing one nutrient that can have a significant impact on your health—magnesium. Magnesium comes in many different forms (including gummies) and is often lauded as longevity-promoting supplement. That said, it’s also particularly effective as a supplement for guys. These are the magnesium benefits for men, according to the latest research and experts.
About the Experts:
Sara Chatfield, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Healthcanal.com.
Megan Horsham, MD, a board-certified physician at Sanctuary Wellness Institute.
Benefits of Magnesium for Men’s Health
1. Regulates testosterone levels
Testosterone is a sex hormone that plays a significant role in men’s health. The hormone is responsible for regulating your sex drive or libido, bone mass, fat distribution, muscle mass and strength, and red blood cell and sperm production (2). Getting more magnesium in you can increase free testosterone (you can get your testosterone levels checked for cheap here).
“Studies have shown that magnesium helps increase testosterone levels in men, especially when combined with exercise,” Dr. Horsham explains.
“Magnesium may affect testosterone levels through its reduction of oxidative stress, which can decrease testosterone levels, and through increasing the bioavailability of testosterone by decreasing its binding to SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin), a protein that binds certain hormones,” Chatfield adds.
2. Promotes heart health
Magnesium may also be beneficial to your heart health. A 2018 review of studies found that higher magnesium intake is associated with a lower risk of major cardiovascular risk factors, including metabolic syndrome, diabetes and high blood pressure, and cardiovascular heart disease or CVD in men (3).
Magnesium is key in regulating neuronal excitation, intracardiac conduction, and myocardial contraction by controlling several ion transporters, including potassium and calcium channels (4).
3. Prevent migraines
If you get migraines, magnesium supplementation may prevent their frequency and intensity. A 2022 research study found that for people who experience migraines with aura (or classic migraine), taking magnesium supplements may help prevent attacks (5).
The mineral prevents brain signals that cause visual and sensory changes linked to aura (6).
4. Improve exercise performance
If you want to boost your gym performance, magnesium may help. According to a 2017 review of animal and human studies, magnesium may improve exercise performance by enhancing the glucose in your brain, muscles, and blood (7).
The review also found that magnesium supplementation improved muscle performance, including grip strength, lower-leg power, knee extension torque, ankle extension strength, maximal isometric trunk flexion, rotation, and jumping performance (7).
5. Reduce symptoms of depression
Magnesium supplementation may help manage mental health conditions like depression.
A 2023 systematic review analyzed 325 participants between 20 and 60 with adult depressive disorder. The researchers found that those treated with magnesium supplements significantly reduced their depression scores (8).
Just so you know, depression scores come from a nine-item Patient Health (PHQ-9) in adults. Total scores of 5, 10, 15, and 20 represent mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression (9).
6. Improve sleep
If you’re struggling to catch enough Zs at night, magnesium might be a good remedy. A 2022 review of almost 4,000 adults found that magnesium supplementation was associated with improved sleep quality and duration (10).
So, how does this mineral encourage sound sleep? According to research, magnesium binds to and activates gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors, leading to an increase in GABA levels in your brain that slows brain activity and promotes relaxation (11).
What Is Magnesium?
Before diving into the benefits, let’s get a basic understanding of what magnesium is.
“Magnesium is an essential mineral critical for numerous biochemical and physiological processes in the body, including energy production, protein synthesis, muscle, bone, and nerve function, and regulation of blood pressure and blood sugar,” says Sara Chatfield, RDN, at Healthcanal.com.
Your body doesn’t actually produce magnesium, but it contains about 25 grams of it—mostly in your bones—from foods, dietary supplements, and certain medications (1).
How much magnesium to supplement
So, how much magnesium should you take to benefit your health? According to Chatfield, the recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 400mg for men ages 19 to 30 and 420mg for men 30 and older.
Going above your RDA of magnesium may pose health risks, so be sure to watch your dosage.
“Taking too much magnesium can lead to hypermagnesemia, which can cause nausea and vomiting, dehydration, low blood pressure, and lethargy,” says Megan Horsham, MD, a board-certified physician at Sanctuary Wellness Institute. “In the most serious cases, magnesium overdose can also lead to breathing problems and shock.”
Unless you’re taking way more dietary supplements than you need, Horsham says that overdosing on magnesium is quite rare.
The Bottom Line
Magnesium is a mineral that can provide a plethora of health benefits for men. This mineral supplement may help regulate testosterone levels, promote heart health, improve exercise performance, reduce depressive symptoms, and improve sleep. As always, speak to your doctor before adding a new supplement to your daily routine.
References
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National Institutes of Health – Office of Dietary Supplements (2022). Magnesium. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
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National Institutes of Health (2013). Understanding how testosterone affects men. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/understanding-how-testosterone-affects-men#
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Rosique-Esteban, N, Guasch-Ferre, M et al (2018). Dietary magnesium and cardiovascular disease: A review with emphasis in epidemiological studies. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5852744/
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Tangvoraphonkchai, K, Davenport, A (2018). Magnesium and cardiovascular disease. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29793664/#
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Dominguez, LJ, Veronese, N et al (2022). Magnesium as an important factor in the pathogenesis and treatment of migraine–from theory to practice. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8912646/
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American Migraine Foundation (2021). Magnesium for migraine prevention. https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/magnesium-migraine/
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Zhang, Y, Xun, P et al (2017). Can magnesium enhance exercise performance. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5622706/
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Moabedi, M, ALiakbari, M et al (2023). Magnesium supplementation beneficially affects depression in adults with depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1333261/full
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National HIV Curriculum (n.d.) Patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). https://www.hiv.uw.edu/page/mental-health-screening/phq-9
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Zhang, Y, Chen, C et al (2022). Association of magnesium intake with sleep duration and sleep quality: Findings from the CARDIA study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8996025/
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Pickering, G, Mazur, A et al (2020). Magnesium status and stress: The vicious circle concept revisited. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/12/3672
