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…Magnesium and Your Health

Written by Danny Bonvissuto, WebMD Editorial Contributors

 Reviewed by Kathleen M. Zelman, RD, LD, MPH on December 17, 2022

IN THIS ARTICLE

What Is Magnesium?

Where to Get Magnesium

Magnesium Risks

Foods With Magnesium

Fish for Magnesium

Vegetables and Fruits That Have Magnesium

Whole-Grain Products With Magnesium

Legumes, Nuts, and Seeds With Magnesium

Magnesium in Water

Magnesium-Fortified Foods

Magnesium Benefits

Amounts and Dosage

What Is Magnesium?

Magnesium is a mineral that plays a big role in making your body work right. More than
300 chemical reactions inside you depend on the mineral.

Without it, your muscles can't move the way they're supposed to. Your nerves won't send
and receive messages. Magnesium also keeps your heart rhythm steady, blood sugar
levels balanced, and your joint cartilage healthy. It helps your body make protein, bone,
and DNA.

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Pumpkin seeds are rich in magnesium.

Your body doesn't make magnesium on its own. The amount you need depends on your
age and gender. If you're a woman age 19 or older, you need 310 milligrams a day -- 350
milligrams if you're pregnant. If you're an adult man under age 30, you need 400
milligrams a day. After 30, men need 420 milligrams.

Where to Get Magnesium

It's always best to get magnesium from food, but you can also get it from multivitamins
and supplements. 

Magnesium Risks

Because the kidneys filter out excessive amounts of magnesium, it’s unusual for a healthy
person to suffer from getting too much magnesium from foods they eat. If you take
supplements, don’t take more than the upper limit unless your doctor recommended it.
Getting too much magnesium can cause diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal cramps.
Extremely high doses can lead to irregular heartbeat and heart attacks.

Don't take a magnesium supplement if you have certain conditions, such as:

• Heart block

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• Kidney failure

• Bowel obstruction

• Myasthenia gravis

Certain conditions like Crohn's disease, celiac disease, type 2 diabetes, alcoholism, and

chronic diarrhea can give your body a long-term shortage of magnesium. Common
symptoms include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue.

Foods With Magnesium

Many types of foods contain magnesium. These include leafy green vegetables, whole
grains, beans, nuts, and fish.

Fish for Magnesium

These types of fish provide magnesium:

• Salmon

• Halibut

• Atlantic mackerel

• Atlantic pollock

Vegetables and Fruits That Have Magnesium

Prickly pear has a lot of magnesium, but it isn't the easiest food to find or prepare.

Focus instead on these fruits and vegetables that have a lot of magnesium when you
cook them and plenty of other nutrients, too:

• Spinach

• Swiss chard (and other leafy green vegetables)

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• Bananas

• Tamarind

• Potato with skin

• Okra

• Broccoli

Whole-Grain Products With Magnesium

Look for breakfast cereals fortified with magnesium and these whole grains:

• Bran cereals

• Wheat germ 

• Quinoa 

• Brown rice

Legumes, Nuts, and Seeds With Magnesium

Meat and poultry don't have a lot of magnesium, but you can find it in soy, cheese, and
yogurt.

These meat alternatives are also good magnesium sources:

• Black-eyed peas 

• Black beans

• Chickpeas

• Edamame

• Tempeh (cooked)

• Soy nuts

• Tofu

• Almonds, cashews, and other nuts

• Pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, chia seeds, and other seeds

• Peanut butter

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Magnesium in Water

Depending on the source and brand, water may contain a small amount of magnesium.

Magnesium-Fortified Foods

Certain food products have added magnesium, but you need to look at the label to be
sure. Some examples are:

• Meal replacement bars

• Protein powders

• Weight loss shakes

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