6 tips to maximize magnesium utilization
Magnesium is an important element that the body uses in more than 300 metabolic processes. The body contains about 25 grams of it. How does it get into the body from food and supplements and how to maximize the use of magnesium for the body?
What will you learn in the article?
- How magnesium is absorbed
- Practical advice on how to make the most of magnesium
The path of magnesium into the body
Only a fraction of the total amount of magnesium ingested reaches the body. The rest passes through the body unabsorbed and we only eliminate it.
1) Dissolution
After swallowing the capsule, the contents must first be dissolved into individual clusters of molecules. The form magnesium is in plays a big role here. Some forms dissolve very easily, others, on the contrary, hardly at all. You can read about this and other differences between forms in our article .
2) Absorption
Magnesium is absorbed mainly in the small intestine, some in the large intestine as well. It gets across the mucosa by two mechanisms – through cells (transcellular transport) with active transport or between cells (paracellular transport) with passive transport (diffusion).
The first type of transport through the cells enters the body in the form of magnesium ions through the cells with the help of transporters. An important factor here is vitamin D, whose metabolites are often the limiting factor for this type of transport. This type of transport fills up quite quickly.
Passive transport is in progress between cells . This mechanism does not "saturate" at normal doses and manages to release approximately 7% of the magnesium dose.
How to maximize magnesium utilization?
1) Do not use together with calcium
Magnesium enters the body using the same transporters as calcium. For maximum usability, it is not good to use these elements together (although many manufacturers combine them...).
2) Sufficient vitamin D
During active transport, vitamin D is often the limiting factor, as we often do not have enough of it (it is most often a deficient micronutrient!) That is why our product Mg 2.0 contains.
3) Take quality forms of magnesium
The best forms contain food. Magnesium is always there in multiple forms. It dissolves in slightly different places in the body, so the absorption mechanisms "oversaturate" more slowly and a larger amount gets into the body. This is also the reason why we put it in our product in four forms instead of the classic one form.
4) Warm better than cold
According to studies, the matrix of nutrients is loosened during cooking and the body can thus use more magnesium from the given food, for example, cooked spinach provides more magnesium than the same amount of raw.
Note – this applies to nutrients that are not destroyed by heat treatment.
5) Pay attention to phosphate and zinc
Foods with a high phosphate content (for example, processed cheeses) reduce the availability of magnesium in the body.
