Magnesium is a mineral that is involved in hundreds of reactions in the human body. Low magnesium levels may affect exercise performance. Some experts suspect that magnesium levels may not be adequate in many people, especially athletes. Many female athletes do not get enough magnesium from the diet, and magnesium is also lost in the urine with exercise.
In a recent study, researchers randomly assigned 139 healthy older women to receive 300 mg of magnesium daily or placebo for 12 weeks. Various outcome measures, including physical performance tests, were evaluated.
The researchers found that at the end of 12 weeks, the women who were taking magnesium supplements performed significantly better on a standard physical performance test when compared to those receiving placebo. Furthermore, improvements in performance were even more prominent for women who were not eating enough magnesium in their daily diet. The authors noted that no serious side effects were reported. The authors concluded that daily magnesium supplementation seems to improve physical performance in older women, suggesting the potential benefits of magnesium for delaying age-related physical decline.
