October 8, 2013
(last updated February 22, 2024) 
Magnesium is probably on your health radar already, but like a lot of micronutrients, you may hear it referenced without understanding precisely what it does, or why. Magnesium is one of the main electrolytes in coconut water and commercial sports drinks. We know that it helps with hydration, but aside from this, what is magnesium, and why is it important?
Magnesium is a cation, s a positively charged ion that exists in the body and is active in more than 300 enzymatic systems (1). It plays a role in protein synthesis, glucose regulation, cell membrane transport, and muscle and nerve function. Over half of the magnesium in the human body exists in bone matrix, so not surprisingly, magnesium is particularly important in maintaining bone health. Most of the remaining magnesium resides in muscles and soft tissues (2). Magnesium works in concert with calcium to help regulate muscle contraction and blood clotting; while calcium promotes contraction, magnesium promotes relaxation.People with magnesium deficiencies can develop hypertension, because the walls of arteries and capillaries tend to constrict. For this reason, magnesium is critical to heart function and to maintaining healthy blood pressure.
There are typically only a a few ounces of magnesium in the body (0.05% of body weight), but that small amount is important. Serious magnesium deficiencies can result in hypertension, impaired functioning of the central nervous system, and even tetanus. These kinds of deficiencies are rare, since our kidneys tend to regulate the amount of magnesium we excrete in our urine. They usually present themselves either with certain types of diseases (such as kidney or bowel disease) or in cases of alcohol abuse, protein malnutrition, or prolonged vomiting and diarrhea (3). People who abuse diuretics and those with anorexia can become deficient as well.
While full blown deficiency may be unlikely among people who don’t have complicating health factors, it’s still important to put dietary magnesium on your radar. When magnesium isn’t consumed in adequate amounts, magnesium in bones will serve as a reservoir from which the body draws, which may not be ideal for bone health (4,5). Meanwhile, low serum and tissue levels of magnesium may be associated with a number of common health complaints, such as migraine headaches (6), hypertension, insomnia, and irritability. Magnesium supplementation may also be helpful to people who suffer from uncomfortable or prolonged PMS (7), and it’s sometimes recommended in the management of cardiac conditions.
Of course, the therapeutic potential of magnesium that interests me most has to do with gut health–my personal area of fascination! In addition to easing anxiety and helping to relax muscles, magnesium has a laxative effect, and it tends to be particularly helpful in easing chronic constipation. (If you’ve ever noticed that coconut water helps with your elimination, this is part of the reason why!) If you suffer from IBS-C (the type of irritable bowel syndrome that tends to cause constipation) or any other type of chronic constipation, supplemental magnesium may be tremendously helpful for you.
The recommended daily allowance of magnesium for men ages 19-30 is 400 mg/day, and 420 mg/day for men 31+. For women, it’s 310 mg/day between the ages of 19 and 30, and 320 mg/day for women ages 31+. Plant based eaters have an advantage in meeting magnesium needs, because many of the best sources of the mineral are plant foods. They include
- almonds
- spinach
- cashews
- soy milk
- tofu
- black beans
- edamame
- wheat
- avocados
- bananas
- brown rice
- pinto beans
- cashews
- Brazil nuts
- millet
- apricots
Absorption of magnesium depends on an acidic stomach environment. People with histories of digestive illness often have a hard time absorbing this vital nutrient, as do people with damaged gut linings. Supplemental magnesium can be very helpful in these cases. It can also help folks with constipation, anxiety, and PMS. If you suffer from any of these conditions, you may want to explore a supplement. And if you do, I have a recommendation for you!
In the gastroenterology practice where I work, many of our patients suffer from poor magnesium absorption due to a history of celiac, bowel resections, or bowel removal. Magnesium supplements are vital in these cases, and Dr. Chutkan only recommends one: Natural Calm. Natural Calm, which is made by the Natural Vitality company is a powdered magnesium supplement–the best-selling one on the market–and it happens to be vegan, non-GMO, and gluten free! It contains 350 mg of magnesium citrate, which is thought to be one of the most bioavailable forms of magnesium (magnesium oxide and sulfate may be more difficult to absorb) (8).
Natural Calm comes in five delicious flavors: orange, raspberry-lemon, lemon, cherry, and natural. They can all be easily mixed into liquid, and they create a delicious, fizzy drink when you prepare them. The only sweetener is organic stevia.
I really enjoyed the Natural Calm flavors–with the exception only of cherry, which isn’t really my jam 😉 My favorites are lemon and orange, which are tangy and refreshing. I also really enjoyed the natural flavor, which is tart and a little less sweet than the others. Natural Calm is a great way to re-hydrate after a hot yoga class or any sweaty workout–it’s tasty enough that you can simply empty it into a water bottle, shake and drink. But if you want something a little more tasty, you can mix it into coconut water or fresh juice. I’ve been enjoying the orange flavor mixed into a morning combination of orange, carrot, ginger, and grapefruit juice–a refreshing way to start the day (note that I didn’t have a sedative effect from the Natural Calm, but some may, so if you feel yourself getting sedated from it, you should drink it at night or whenever works for you).
While I no longer suffer from IBS-C, I do think that Natural Calm is a great support for me when I’m feeling stressed out or tense. I’ll be keeping it close to me as I continue my studies, for sure. If you’re curious about trying the product yourself, you’re in luck: the folks at Natural Vitality are offering one lucky CR winner a special care package, featuring 6 packets of each Natural Calm flavor. They’ll also be throwing in samples of E-28, their energy shot, which is whole foods and based in chlorella and maca:
As well as a bottle each of their Vitamin-B complex and Vitamin-C complex:
To enter the giveaway, you can:
1. Like Natural Vitality on Facebook
2. Follow Natural Vitality on Twitter
3. Like Choosing Raw on Facebook
4. Follow Choosing Raw on Pinterest
5. Tweet about this giveaway
6. Leave me a comment, telling me why you’re interested in exploring Natural Vitality products
*For each of these actions, please leave me a separate comment telling me you did it!*
Good luck! I’ll be announcing the winner next Tuesday, October 15th.
References
1. Elin, RJ. Magnesium: the fifth but forgotten electrolyte. Am J Clin Pathol. 1994 Nov;102(5):616-22.
2. Volpe SL. Magnesium. In: Erdman JW, Macdonald IA, Zeisel SH, eds. Present Knowledge in Nutrition. 10th ed. Ames, Iowa; John Wiley & Sons, 2012:459-74.
3. Whitney, E, and Rolfes, S. Understanding Nutrition. p. 422
4. Haas, EM. Staying Healthy with Nutrition. p. 163
5. Kitchin B, Morgan SL. Not just calcium and vitamin D: other nutritional considerations in osteoporosis. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2007 Apr;9(1):85-92.
6. Sun-Edelstein C, Mauskop A. Role of magnesium in the pathogenesis and treatment of migraine. Expert Rev Neurother 2009;9:369–79
7. Bendich A. The potential for dietary supplements to reduce premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms. J Am Coll Nutr. 2000 Feb;19(1):3-12.
8. Lindberg JS, Zobitz MM, Poindexter JR, Pak CY. Magnesium bioavailability from magnesium citrate and magnesium oxide. J Am Coll Nutr. 1990 Feb;9(1):48-55.
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Followed CR on Pinterest.
Liked CR on Facebook.
Followed Natural Vitality on Twitter.
Liked Natural Vitality on Facebook.
already a fan of choosing raw on facebook!
Already a fan of natural vitality on FB.
I’m interested in these products to see if they help me sleep and keep me calm!
Actually this is one of the quality products that are out there for Magnesium. Natural VItality is recommended by a lot of people. By the way, thanks for sharing the plant based sources for magnesium. My wife loves edamame with beer (And so do I:). Japan’s alternative to “beer nuts” I guess.
I follow CR already on Pinterest 🙂
I’m following Natural Calm on twitter
I definitely need some calm in my life, since I’m back in the student/post-bacc world and between school, working in a behavioral genetics lab, working on my business, and trying to have a social life, I’m more wound up than I want to be! I also don’t want to go back to taking psychopharmaceuticals to help me with my anxiety. It’s mostly manageable but I love trying natural supplements to help!
I am following Natural Vitality on Twitter! yay!
I am following choosing raw on facebook!
I pinned and am following choosing raw on pinterest!
I think we could all use some natural forms of relaxation! This is worth a shot! 🙂
I like you on Facebook.
Is this safe for pretty much anyone to take or are there some you’d advise against taking it/any Mg supplement?
Randi,
According to WebMD, possible interactions include certain kinds of antibiotics, bisphosphonates (like Fosamax), blood pressure meds, muscle relaxants, and water pills. And of course, always chat with your doctor before starting a new supplement.
G
Wow! I love all the scientific information you shared here, especially now that I’m learning all about this in chemistry. I find it especially fascinating that increased magnesium intake can help with migraines because I used to suffer from these awful whole body aches when I was younger. Plus, my dad gets migraines from time to time.
I’m looking for a supplement to give me more energy!
Oooh I would love to try Natural Vitality products. I’ve been experiencing some anxiety lately and would love to try a nice & healthy alternative.
I follow you on Pinterest
I like Choosing Raw on Facebook
While I would love to have a healthier gut, I would really love to see how this might help anxiety! Thanks for the opportunity to win.
I follow you on Pinterest
I like you on FB!
I follow Natural Vitality on Twitter
I Like Natural Vitality on Facebook
I am plant based but struggle with my digestion which really alters my lifestyle. I am very interested in trying Natural Vitality magnesium supplements because I am confident I can live my life again. Plus, it’s free which is a huge plus as I’m out of work at the moment! 🙁 please?
i liked on Natural Vitality on FB!
Thanks for this info Gena. Really interesting stuff. I knew very little about magnesium except that it was somewhat linked to bone health. My digestion always suffers when I’m stressed or travelling as well so I think I’ll be looking into supplementing. Thank you for providing the list of good dietary sources too 🙂
I’m guessing this giveaway is US only?
Alas, Emma, US only 🙁
I tweeted about the giveaway!
I followed Choosing Raw on Pinterest!
I liked Choosing Raw on Facebook!
I followed Natural Vitality on Twitter!
I liked Natural Vitality on Facebook!
I could probably write many pages about why I would be so grateful to win this giveaway and try these Natural Vitality products, but I’ll keep it short! I have been experiencing GI upset for over a year now and neither I, nor my doctor, or the the GI doctors can figure out why exactly this is happening to me. I have severe severe constipation, but nothing I do is really relieving it. I have tried many different laxatives and other supplements and I now take miralax everyday, but my GI is continuously in turmoil. I would love to try Natural Vitality to see if it will help relieve my symptoms and allow me to feel normal again! Also, I thought it was an awesome coincidence that I just learned about how calcium affects muscle contraction and how different types of muscle lead to certain contractions involved with things like symptoms of PMS in my human physiology class at BU, so learning about the opposite end-the magnesium-related relaxation-was cool to discover- I love science! And it fit in perfectly with 1) my GI problems and 2) what I was learning in school. Well, that’s my story and I’m crossing my fingers that I will be fortunate enough to win and hopefully end my GI suffering!
I follow Natural Calm on Twitter (@emily__lynn)
I’d love to try Natural Calm! I’ve never heard of the benefits of magnesium before. Off to do some more research!
I liked you on facebook! I want to explore natural vitality products because I’ve been reading about magnesium supplements as a possible aid for frequent headaches…which I most definitely suffer from.
I’ve been taking magnesium capsules for close to two years now at the recommendation of my doctor for headaches/migraines. I’ve been reading more and more about magnesium and calcium. I read on a blog I follow (can’t remember which one cause I follow so many now! LOL) that highly recommended this one so I figured I give it a try and give the capsules a break! I took my first drink today and the raspberry lemon is really good! I’d much rather drink it than take the pill. I only drink water so to have a small flavored drink is nice.
Great Scott! That is exactly what I found out about magnesium. My great muscle relaxer, for fibromyalgia. I wasn’t getting enough, very little in fact. And that went on for years. Thank you for the samples! Good job.♥
I’m already a devoted fan of the Magnesium + Calcium Raspberry Lemonade drink, I have it before bed and is delicious! Would love to try the other flavors and the energy packets too!
Liked CR on FB!
Liked Natural Vitality on FB!
I’d love to win this. I’ve been dealing with sleeping issues lately and would love to try out this product to see if it helps!
I am so excited to try other flavors of Natural Calm. It’s so expensive 🙁 so I bought one can of the Raspberry-Lemon a while ago and I am stretching it as far as I can! 🙂 I’m interested in trying to incorporate the different flavors into different drinks (ie. mocktails)
I follow Choosing Raw on Pinterest!
I followed Choosing Raw on Pinterest!
I would love to try out a little extra magnesium in my life. My roommate has recommended Natural Calm in the past, but I wasn’t sure it was for me… but, now with this glowing review, I’d love to take the leap!
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity! As someone who has been trying to manage anxiety as naturally as possible I am very interested in trying the Calm powders. Even if I don’t win I think I’ll check it out.
I know this sounds nutso — but I was rushed via ambulance to the emergency room a few months ago because I choked on my GIGANTIC magnesium pill. Now I live in fear of the mag pills…even though they’ve been incredible helpful for muscle spasms and digestive issues. I had no idea there was a drinkable option. I’m thrilled!
Oh my goodness! What a story. So glad you’re OK 🙂
I LIKED you on Facebook.
And also found you on a Magnesium page.
🙂
Liked Choosing Raw on FB
I liked Natural Vitality on facebook!
I liked you on facebook!
I’d love to try the natural calm, as someone who suffers from anxiety.
oi! And I’m following on pintrest too! Thanks!
I work as a middle school teacher and a colleague of mine was always drinking the Natural Calm drink supplement. She drank it religiously. Then my husband was having frequent headaches and came home from the Naturopath with some magnesium tablets. I became curious about magnesium and it’s effect on my body. I started taking the supplement that my husband gave up on and then bought a few of those Natural Calm packets. After about a week, my stress levels were lower (well not the actual stress, but the perceived feeling.) It’s pretty dang awesome that one simple mineral does such good things in your body.
I do wonder though about over-doing it. Is there potential to get too much magnesium? And what about absorption? Should I avoid certain foods when I’m taking the supplement to increase absorption?
Thanks to you and good luck to me!
Kim
I can’t believe I wasn’t LOVING you on facebook. It’s done now. No worries. And man I would be a lot less stressed about it if I had some Natural Calm. 😉 ha!
I have been looking into a magnesium supplement lately so I am excited to try Natural Vitality’s magnesium supplement and other supplements!
I already follow Choosing Raw on Pinterest!
I already like Choosing Raw on Facebook!
Followed Natural Vitality on Twitter!
I liked Natural Vitality on Facebook!
I have been wanting to try the calm products!
Followed on twitter!(@shesaliibra)
Oh, I think I need to try this! I take a cal/mag/D supplement, but I’m a sufferer of IBS-C, so I think all of your comments apply to me!
I’m interested in these products because I need some Calm in my life!
I like Choosing Raw on Facebook
I follow Choosing Raw on Pinterest
I like Natural Vitality on Facebook
I tweeted the giveaway: https://twitter.com/SLN319/status/387960858417983488
I follow Choosing Raw on Pinterest
I liked Choosing Raw on FB
I follow Natural Vitality on Twitter
I have tried the raspberry-lemon natural calm. It’s really great and I would love to try all the other flavors. Thanks for the giveaway!
I like Natural Vitality on FB
Hi! I am in my Master’s program to become a nurse practitioner and have been struggling with anxiety/stress! I would love to try this product! It seems great!
Im interested in these products because Im looking for way to look and feel better than I am now.
I liked natural vitality on FB
I’ve just discovered that I’m sensitive to some of the ingredients in my favorite evening tea, so I’ve been looking for an alternative to sip on during my night time relaxation ritual.
I am really curious to try all the flavors – I’m looking for something to replace drinking decaf coffee in the evenings, and get some extra balance into my life!
I follow CR on pinterest!
I use the regular Natural Calm but I’ve never tried any of their other products. I’d love to expand my vitamin regime with products I trust!
I Follow Natural Vitality on Twitter as @mom_loves_deals.
I Like Natural Vitality on Facebook as Vanessa Vazquez.
And I’m interested in trying these out because I’m trying to deal with way too much stress! I’ve got (semi-recovered from) IBS. I have a lot of trouble sleeping and have hear that magnesium MIGHT help with that. I’m a Peace Corps volunteer, and my husband and I are leaving Jordan soon to move back to the US – to a brand new city and neither of us have jobs nor will we have healthcare! Plus I’m a pre-nursing student. Too many things! Anything that might help me keep cool and calm, in a health way of course, is worth trying.
I have a friend who loves the Calm products so much she sounds like a paid spokesperson! I would love to try it to see if I experience the same wonderful benefits 🙂
I liked Choosing Raw on Facebook.
I also follow Choosing Raw on Facebook (cm1028)
I’ve been reading more and more about magnesium and have started adding a supplement to my bedtime routine. I’d love to try in a drink form!
Also, I already like you on Facebook 🙂
I totally need some calm in my life right now. Thanks for the info and the giveaway, Gena, these look great!
Aaaaand I’m interested in trying these out because I get stressed frequently, and would love a natural supplement that could help me remain calm!
I followed Choosing Raw on Pinterest!
I followed Natural Vitality on Twitter!
I liked Natural Vitality on Facebook!
I liked Choosing Raw on Facebook!
I tweeted!
https://twitter.com/StyleBento/status/387926623032320000
I follow Choosing Raw on Pinterest!