We answer the most common questions about Magnesium and share our top tips for taking it, PLUS the common things to avoid and mistakes that we see people make.
Your most common questions about Magnesium answered
Magnesium is one of the most commonly taken supplements by Western societies. It is particularly popular in the Longevity and healthspan community due to its multifaceted benefits across the entire body.
How to take Magnesium
The preferred method of taking Magnesium is with food or to dissolve it in water. If you have purchased Magnesium in capsules and would like to take it with food, simply break open the capsule, pour the contents into your food or water and mix it until dissolved or no longer visible.
How to take Magnesium powder
The preferred method of taking Magnesium Powder is with food or to dissolve it in water. If you have purchased Magnesium in capsules and would like to take it with food, simply break open the capsule, pour the contents into your food or water and mix it until dissolved or no longer visible.
How much Magnesium to take daily
The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for Magnesium for adults is 310–420 mg depending on age and gender. Most Longevity enthusiasts take 500mg per day. Magnesium is safe in higher doses and many people take 2-3 grams per day.
When to take Magnesium?
Magnesium can be taken at any time of day. Some people take it to help with sleep so taking 30 minutes before bed would be ideal in this instance.
How long does Magnesium take to work?
The most common question we get is “how long does it take for Magnesium to work”. Like any supplement, Magnesium takes time to enter your system and get to work. The time it takes will depend on your preferred method of taking it.
How much Magnesium to take?
Most people take either mg per day. Many people take more than this, and it is perfectly safe to take 2 or 3 grams per day, however some people experience upset stomachs on higher doses
Our Top Tips for taking Magnesium
Tip 1:
It seems too simple... but don't forget to take your Magnesium! The best way to ensure you remember to take your Magnesium is to add it to a routine/ritual that you already do. For example, if you have a cup of coffee as soon as you get up in the morning, then put your Magnesium on top of your coffee so you can’t miss it.... if you DO miss a day don't think your hard work is all undone. If it's just a day or two you can catch up by increasing your dosage slightly the following few days. Although, clearly don't miss a week and then take 8 days of doses in one day! Many of our customers take 2 or 3 grams per day so you’re not going to over do it by having a gram and a half for 3 days.
Tip 2:
Take your Magnesium with a meal. We believe that this is the optimum way to take Magnesium because your body will absorb it alongside the nutrients in the food. If you are taking magnesium in capsule form then you can either swallow the capsules with some water whilst you are eating or break the capsules open and pour the Magnesium in to water (to be drunk) or your meal.
Tip 3: Don’t take Magnesium with antibiotics. It may seem counterintuitive since Magnesium is an essential mineral, but you shouldn't take extra supplements if you're on certain antibiotics. Antibiotics that contain aminoglycosides affect the muscles and, since magnesium affects the muscles, it might cause problems. Also, some antibiotics can affect how much magnesium the body can absorb. Magnesium can also bond to antibiotics, reducing the benefits.
Top things to avoid when taking Magnesium
Things to avoid 1:
Whilst Magnesium can support high quality sleep, don’t expect it to cure underlying sleep issues. If you're struggling with sleep because of external and/or environmental issues like stress, shift work, eating before bed or poor sleep hygiene, magnesium might not be the golden bullet that you are looking for. Sleep is so important to healthspan that it’s worth investing the time and effort to make your sleep as beneficial as possible.
Things to avoid 2: Don’t take too much Magnesium. We have heard of instances where people are taking more than 10 grams of Magnesium believing that ‘more is better’. Whilst many people are deficient in Magnesium, hardly anyone will be so deficient that they will benefit from mega doses. Too much magnesium will need your kidneys to work hard and rid your body of the excess mineral, so overdoing the magnesium isn't a good idea. It can also cause stomach upsets and diarrhea which is never nice!
Things to avoid 3: Quality and purity is everything. Unfortunately not all companies agree with us. Whilst Amazon is the world's marketplace and you can find every supplement under the sun on it (including ours), don't take it as given that every supplement on Amazon is pure and tested for quality. Sadly, you will find the cheapest, best selling supplements on Amazon are very often unscrupulous Chinese sellers with very questionable quality. Put simply, they are the best sellers because they are the cheapest. To build (unfounded) credibility they pay 3rd parties for dozens of fake reviews, which gives audiences the perception that hundreds of other consumers are enjoying and benefiting from their product. Sure, there will be authentic reviews also, but for the low/no quality brands that we are talking about here, these are due to the placebo effect.
Of course, this is not always the case and many mainstream vitamins and supplements are purchased on Amazon hundreds of thousands of times a month and therefore some of the best sellers have the economies of scale to be able to offer great value and great quality. But it’s safe to say that for the less well known categories, like longevity supplements, this is not the case and therefore the cheapest products are not what they say.
At Longevity Box, every product we develop is more than 99% pure (as pure as it gets) and we test every batch. You can find our latest certificate for each product on Amazon and our website.
Follow these tips and avoid these things to ensure you are getting the most from your investment in your long term health. If you have any questions, please check out the product pages on our website for more FAQ’s on Resveratrol or drop us a line at CustomerService@LongevityBox.co.uk.