The Healthspan Map · Nutrient

Magnesium

Linked to getting too little

Where a shortfall of Magnesium is linked — 20 sources.In the order the Map holds them: strongest evidence first. That is a statement about the evidence, not about what matters most.
Nutrient or lever	Direction	Strength	Evidence type	What was found	Source
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Moderate	Systematic review	Magnesium attenuates HPA-axis activity and benefits subjective anxiety.	Boyle, Lawton & Dye 2017, Nutrients (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Moderate	Review / narrative	Magnesium regulates neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity; low magnesium is linked to reduced cognitive function.	Huskisson et al. 2007; micronutrient-cognition review (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Moderate	Review / narrative	Magnesium regulates neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity; low magnesium is linked to reduced cognitive function.	Linus Pauling Institute — Magnesium (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Moderate	Review / narrative	Magnesium regulates neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity; low magnesium is linked to reduced cognitive function.	Huskisson et al., "The role of vitamins and minerals in energy metabolism and well-being", J Int Med Res 2007 (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Moderate	Review / narrative	Magnesium is a cofactor in ATP-dependent energy metabolism; low status is linked to fatigue.	Micronutrients for energy/fatigue review (Tardy 2020) (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Moderate	Cohort / observational	Low magnesium status is associated with depression.	NIH ODS – Magnesium (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Moderate	Review / narrative	Low magnesium associates with constipation; magnesium eases it osmotically.	Magnesium & constipation (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Moderate	RCT / meta-analysis	The American Academy of Neurology/American Headache Society judge magnesium probably effective for migraine prevention.	NIH ODS – Magnesium (AAN/AHS guideline) (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Moderate	RCT / meta-analysis	Magnesium supplementation lowers blood pressure (SBP -2.8, DBP -2.1 mmHg across 38 RCTs), especially in people with hypertension.	Magnesium supplementation & BP meta (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Moderate	RCT / trial	Magnesium calms the HPA axis (lowers cortisol), supports melatonin synthesis, and improved sleep in a primary-insomnia RCT.	Abbasi et al. 2012; melatonin-cofactor review (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Moderate	RCT / trial	Magnesium calms the HPA axis (lowers cortisol), supports melatonin synthesis, and improved sleep in a primary-insomnia RCT.	Abbasi et al., "The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial", J Res Med Sci 2012 (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Moderate	Systematic review	Magnesium supports muscle contraction and relaxation; inadequate intake is common in inflammatory joint pain and linked to poorer muscle performance.	Nutrition & chronic musculoskeletal pain (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Moderate	RCT / meta-analysis	About 67% of body magnesium sits in bone; higher intake links to greater hip/femoral-neck BMD and lower fracture risk, and magnesium is needed to activate vitamin D.	Magnesium intake & BMD/fracture meta (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Moderate	Systematic review	Magnesium attenuates HPA-axis activity (lowers ACTH and cortisol); benefits subjective anxiety and stress.	Boyle, Lawton & Dye 2017, Nutrients (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Emerging	Mechanistic	Magnesium supports the sodium-iodide symporter that maintains iodine supply for hormone synthesis.	Minerals & thyroid review (PMC7574993) (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Emerging	Review / narrative	Magnesium supports inner-ear blood flow and may protect hair cells - emerging.	Diet & tinnitus (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Strong	RCT / meta-analysis	Higher magnesium intake is inversely associated with type 2 diabetes (per 500 mg/day OR ~0.62); magnesium is a cofactor for insulin signalling.	Glycemic index, fiber, magnesium & T2D (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Strong	RCT / meta-analysis	Higher magnesium intake is inversely associated with type 2 diabetes (per 500 mg/day OR ~0.62); magnesium is a cofactor for insulin signalling.	Association of magnesium intake with type 2 diabetes and total stroke: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis, BMJ Open 2020 (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Emerging	Review / narrative	Magnesium participates in immune activation and inflammation regulation.	Magnesium & inflammation (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Eat enough of	Strong	Established clinical	Deficiency causes abnormal heart rhythms and coronary spasm; low status is linked to hypertension and cardiovascular disease.	NIH ODS – Magnesium (opens in a new tab)

Linked to getting too much

Where an excess of Magnesium is linked — 3 sources.In the order the Map holds them: strongest evidence first. That is a statement about the evidence, not about what matters most.
Nutrient or lever	Direction	Strength	Evidence type	What was found	Source
Magnesium	Don't overdo	Moderate	Established clinical	Excess magnesium pulls water into the bowel, causing diarrhoea (it is used as a laxative).	NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Magnesium (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Don't overdo	Moderate	Established clinical	Very high doses (laxatives/antacids or renal failure) cause hypermagnesemia → hypotension, irregular heartbeat, and, rarely, cardiac arrest (fatal cases reported).	NIH ODS – Magnesium (opens in a new tab)
Magnesium	Don't overdo	Moderate	Established clinical	Hypermagnesemia causes lethargy, muscle weakness, difficulty breathing and depression.	NIH ODS – Magnesium (opens in a new tab)