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Magnesium is having a bit of a moment. Muscle recovery sprays formulated with magnesium claim to soothe post-workout soreness. While “sleepy girl mocktails mixed with the mineral promise to help you unlock deeper levels of sleep. And some proponents of magnesium argue that it aids digestion and relieves anxiety.
The internet is abuzz with the potential benefits of this small-yet-mighty supplement that can seemingly do it all.
What exactly is magnesium?
Magnesium is an essential micronutrient and abundant mineral in your body, according to the National Institutes of Health. It supports multiple important processes in the body, like building good bone structure, regulating your heart rhythm, and aiding muscle and nerve function. You can find magnesium in foods like nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, bananas, dark green leafy vegetables, and soy, says Keri Gans, RD, author of The Small Change Diet.
According to the NIH, half of Americans don’t have enough magnesium in their diets. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for magnesium is 310 to 320 milligrams for most adult women and 400 to 420 milligrams for most adult men.
Can magnesium help with weight loss?
Yes, magnesium can potentially help with weight loss—but it’s complicated, says Kunal Shah, MD, an assistant professor in the division of endocrinology at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center.
“Magnesium helps with weight loss if you have a deficiency,” Dr. Shah says. That’s mostly because too little magnesium is also linked with insulin resistance, which is when cells in your muscles, fat, and liver don’t respond well to insulin—a hormone that controls your blood sugar—and can’t easily take up glucose from your blood, he says.
“There is also some thought that a magnesium deficiency can lead to a more pro-inflammatory state,” Dr. Shah says. “That pro-inflammatory state and insulin resistance can cause weight gain—but that’s if you have a magnesium deficiency.”
Ultimately, magnesium’s impact on weight is likely to be more indirect than direct, says Amber Core, RD, a registered dietitian at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Magnesium is known to have calming effects,” she says. That can raise the odds that you’ll have more restful sleep, which can reduce the level of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, in your body.
“When we don’t get enough sleep at night, the body looks for increased energy from foods, and increases ghrelin to tell us to eat,” Core says. “By eating less during the day, we may lose some weight over time.”
As for what the research says: magnesium-rich diets have been associated with lower body fat in people with prediabetes, according to a 2023 study in Frontiers in Nutrition. And, people who have obesity are also more likely to be deficient in magnesium, according to a 2021 study published in Nutrients. However, Core points out that there’s no strong evidence that taking magnesium will directly cause weight loss. But, if you do have a magnesium deficiency, “you could definitely argue that supplementing with magnesium could help,” Dr. Shah says.
Magnesium may indirectly aid weight loss by:
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Correcting a magnesium deficiency. Magnesium deficiency has been associated with insulin resistance and pro-inflammatory states, both of which contribute to weight gain.
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Achieving more restful sleep. Magnesium’s calming effects could help you reach deeper levels of sleep, which reduces the amount of hunger hormones in the body. If you’re eating a little less during the day, you might gradually lose some weight.
How to know if you might have a deficiency—and what should you do?
First of all, magnesium deficiency can be hard to detect. Early signs include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness, per the NIH—and certain conditions like type 2 diabetes, chronic alcoholism, or taking certain medications may contribute. You may also see symptoms like muscle cramping or twitching, adds Gans.
If you suspect you have a magnesium deficiency, talk to your doctor. They may want to do a blood test to see where your levels are, Dr. Shah says. From there, your doctor may recommend that you eat more magnesium-rich foods or take a supplement, although the supplement amount would depend on your level of deficiency.
Magnesium Citrate
Magnesium Gummies
Magnesium Bisglycinate
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