Magnesium for athletes
Any sport — endurance and team sports alike
Magnesium is involved in muscle contraction and in the reactions that release energy, and it is one of the nutrients people most commonly fall short of, athlete or not. It is also the nutrient most heavily marketed to athletes on a claim the evidence does not really support.
Why this differs from the ordinary recommendation
Some magnesium is lost in sweat, so a heavy training load does modestly raise requirements, on top of the ordinary reasons anyone falls short.
The cramp claim is the weak part: controlled trials of magnesium for exercise-associated cramp have largely not shown a benefit, and the causes of cramp are still not well understood.
The useful version of this is unglamorous — leafy greens, nuts, seeds, beans and whole grains get most people to the target with nothing supplemented at all.
Figures from the American College of Sports Medicine, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and Dietitians of Canada — joint position stand, Nutrition and Athletic Performance (2016). Ranges are given at the conservative end — see the note on each number above.
Where this stops being useful
Magnesium supplements are among the most oversold products in sports nutrition, and high doses mainly produce digestive symptoms. If you cramp persistently, that is worth investigating properly rather than treating with a pill on the assumption it is a magnesium problem.
Healthy Squirrel gives nutrition estimates, not medical advice.
Foods highest in magnesium (per 100 g)
| Food | per 100 g | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Seeds, hemp seed, hulled | 700 mg | 167% |
| Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted, with salt added | 550 mg | 131% |
| Seeds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), raw | 500 mg | 119% |
| Seeds, cottonseed kernels, roasted (glandless) | 440 mg | 105% |
| Seeds, flaxseed | 392 mg | 93% |
| Mothbeans, mature seeds, raw | 381 mg | 91% |
| Flaxseed, ground | 372 mg | 89% |
| Seeds, sesame butter, paste | 362 mg | 86% |
| Sesame butter, creamy | 357 mg | 85% |
| Seeds, sesame seeds, whole, roasted and toasted | 356 mg | 85% |
| Nuts, brazilnuts, raw | 351 mg | 84% |
| Seeds, sesame seed kernels, toasted, with salt added (decorticated) | 346 mg | 82% |
Per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central, whole foods, highest first. In the app every amount scales to the serving you actually log.
More detail on this nutrient: foods highest in magnesium.
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