Summary
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Your calf cramps up at night, you have been feeling more tired than usual for weeks, and somewhere you read that it could be magnesium. This article is for men who want to know what such complaints do and do not say about their magnesium levels. You will read which symptoms are consistent with a deficiency, how a deficiency develops, what a blood test can measure and when it is sensible to seek an assessment.
What does magnesium deficiency mean?
Magnesium deficiency means that your body has had less magnesium available than it needs over an extended period of time. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre (Voedingscentrum), such a deficiency is not common, because magnesium is found in many foods.
Magnesium is a mineral that you obtain through your diet and that performs several functions in your body. Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function and to normal functioning of the nervous system. In addition, magnesium contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism and to the maintenance of normal bones.
A deficiency is about the total amount your body has at its disposal, not about what you eat on any single day. One day with little variety on your plate does not create a deficiency. Whether a deficiency develops depends on three things together: how much you take in, how much you absorb and how much you lose.
In practice, that distinction matters. Magnesium deficiency is a finding, not a feeling. Someone who feels tired or has cramps does not automatically have a deficiency, and someone who eats a varied diet generally gets magnesium from their food. The word deficiency should only be used when there is more than a suspicion.
Magnesium deficiency symptoms: which complaints are possible?
The complaints the Netherlands Nutrition Centre mentions in connection with magnesium deficiency are tiredness, listlessness and muscle cramps. In cases of extreme deficiency, heart rhythm disorders can also occur. That is a shorter list than you will find on many websites.
Tiredness and listlessness are closely related, but not the same. Tiredness is a lack of energy; listlessness is a lack of motivation or drive. Muscle cramps are sudden, painful contractions of a muscle, often in the calf. All three are possible signals, not typical or certain ones.
Heart rhythm disorders fall into a different category. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre links them to extreme deficiencies, not to a mild deficiency. For a man wondering whether his cramps are related to magnesium, a heart rhythm disorder is therefore not a complaint to be expected.
Online you will also come across muscle weakness, tingling, muscle tremors, nausea and restlessness listed as symptoms. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre does not mention those complaints as characteristics of magnesium deficiency. Do take them seriously: precisely because they do not automatically point to magnesium, they deserve their own explanation.
Why symptoms of magnesium deficiency prove little
Symptoms of magnesium deficiency prove little, because the same complaints can have other causes. Tiredness, listlessness and muscle cramps are not exclusive to magnesium. You know them just as well from a busy working week, a heavy training period or a bad night's sleep.
On top of that, a deficiency is not common. An expert from Radboudumc puts the figure at around 1 to 2 percent of the Dutch population. Place a common complaint alongside an uncommon deficiency, and you can see that magnesium is not automatically the first explanation.
Self-diagnosis therefore comes at a cost. If you assume it is magnesium, you may stop looking for the real cause. If something then changes in your complaints, you also will not know what caused it.
What you can do yourself is map out your complaints more carefully. Note when they started, how often they recur and in which situations: after exercise, at night or after a heavy week. Also write down which medications and supplements you are using. Such an overview says more than a list of symptoms.
What can cause magnesium deficiency?
Magnesium deficiency can develop via three routes: you take in too little, you absorb too little or you lose too much. Each route calls for a different way of looking at things.
- Insufficient intake: your diet provides too little magnesium. Because magnesium is found in many foods, this is less likely with a varied diet.
- Reduced absorption: the magnesium is present in your food, but the gastrointestinal tract absorbs less of it.
- Increased loss: your body loses more magnesium than normal, leaving a net smaller amount.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre mentions reduced kidney or bowel function as situations in which a deficiency can develop. In the case of the bowel, this connects to the second route, because that is where absorption takes place.
Radboudumc mentions certain medications, including strong acid-suppressing medication (such as proton pump inhibitors), as a circumstance in which a deficiency occurs more often. Using such a medication does not mean you have a deficiency. It is, however, relevant information when considering whether magnesium could play a role.
A circumstance is therefore not a diagnosis. At most it makes a deficiency more likely, and only in combination with the rest of your situation.
Testing for magnesium deficiency: what does a blood value tell you and what does it not?
Testing for magnesium deficiency is done with a blood test, but a blood value only shows a small part of your total magnesium. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, approximately 1 percent of the magnesium in your body is in the blood. That is why the Netherlands Nutrition Centre does not consider magnesium in the blood a good measure of the total amount.
Radboudumc places a different emphasis. There, magnesium in the blood is measured, and according to the expert interviewed, supplementation is only worthwhile when a deficiency has been demonstrated. Together, both sources give a clear picture: the blood value is a useful measurement point, but not a complete overview.
For a test result, that means two things. A normal value does not rule out a deficiency in all cases, because the largest part of your magnesium is located outside the blood. An abnormal value is equally not a final verdict in itself.
A result only gains meaning alongside your complaints, your medications and your medical history. You never read a number on a lab form in isolation. A quick check that takes over that work does not exist.
When should you contact your GP?
Contact your GP if complaints persist, recur or worsen without a clear explanation. Do so especially if your heartbeat feels irregular. Your GP will assess whether a blood test is useful and how a result should be interpreted.
- Tiredness, listlessness or muscle cramps that persist without any explanation.
- Complaints that keep recurring or gradually worsen.
- Muscle weakness, tingling or trembling without a clear cause.
- Palpitations or a heartbeat that feels irregular.
If you suddenly experience serious heart complaints, do not wait and seek emergency care immediately. This is safety advice, not a diagnosis.
Are you taking medications, such as strong acid-suppressing medication, or do you have a chronic condition? Then first discuss with your GP whether a magnesium supplement is advisable, rather than experimenting on your own.
Bring to the consultation when the complaints started, which medications and supplements you are using and what you have already noticed yourself. The more concrete your picture, the more targeted the assessment.
Why a varied diet remains the primary source of magnesium
A varied diet remains the primary source of magnesium, because magnesium is found in many foods. If you eat a varied diet and have no persistent complaints, a deficiency is not a likely scenario. A supplement is then not a necessity.
A supplement also does not replace a varied, balanced diet. It provides a fixed amount of one or a few substances, while a complete eating pattern brings much more than magnesium alone.
A supplement is equally not a test or a treatment. Taking it does not establish whether you had a deficiency. A confirmed deficiency calls for an approach tailored to your situation, and that is different from a standard daily dose.
Taking a higher dose is not automatically better. More milligrams on a package says nothing about how well that amount suits you. Follow the recommended daily dose and do not exceed it, even if your complaints persist. A supplement has its place alongside a good diet, not as a substitute for an explanation.
Four forms of magnesium in one tablet: why we made that choice
For FORGE we chose four organically bound forms of magnesium in one tablet: magnesium bisglycinate, magnesium citrate, magnesium malate and magnesium taurate. Together they deliver 200 mg of magnesium per day (53.4% RI).
Organically bound means that the magnesium is attached to an organic compound. The name reveals which one: glycine, citric acid, malic acid or taurine. Each form has its own absorption profile, which is why we combine them rather than choosing a single form.
A common misconception involves the milligrams. The weight of the compound is not the weight of the magnesium itself. In FORGE, 1,159.4 mg of magnesium bisglycinate delivers 160 mg of magnesium. In addition, 150 mg of magnesium citrate delivers 22.5 mg, 76.6 mg of magnesium malate delivers 11.5 mg and 75 mg of magnesium taurate delivers 6 mg.
With any magnesium product, look at the amount of magnesium, not the weight of the compound. We keep the total at 200 mg, because a proper daily dose is something different from dosing as high as possible.
We also kept FORGE simple: no added vitamins such as B6 or D3 and no separate taurine alongside the taurate. A schedule with multiple daily intakes is more likely to fall apart than one action at a meal you are already having. That is why the full daily dose is in one tablet.
If you prefer to take your magnesium with your evening meal in a formula with additional ingredients, choose DUSK instead of FORGE. Both contain magnesium, so you choose one or the other.
FORGE: 200 mg magnesium (53.4% RI) per tablet, from magnesium bisglycinate, magnesium citrate, magnesium malate and magnesium taurate. One tablet per day with water, at breakfast, lunch or dinner. One pouch contains 30 tablets, enough for 30 days.
Giving magnesium a fixed place in your day
If you choose to add magnesium to your day, give it a fixed place: the same meal, the same glass of water, every day. We believe in one tablet at one recognisable moment, linked to something you are already doing. That way magnesium becomes part of your daily ritual rather than something you have to remember. If you want to see whether FORGE fits your moment, view the full composition.
Frequently asked questions about magnesium deficiency
Is there a reliable magnesium deficiency test for home use?
No, you cannot reliably establish magnesium deficiency with a home test or an online questionnaire. A questionnaire tallies up complaints such as tiredness and cramps, but those complaints are not specific to magnesium. A blood-based test looks at the same small portion of your magnesium as a regular blood value, with the same limitation. A high score or an abnormal number from such a test therefore says little about your total magnesium.
Can you test for magnesium deficiency by taking extra magnesium for a period of time?
No, a supplement is not a test. Tiredness and muscle cramps fluctuate even without magnesium playing a role, so a change during a period of extra magnesium says little about the cause. You also start without knowing where you stood. If you genuinely want to know how things are, an assessment before taking anything is more useful than a trial after the fact.
Can you develop magnesium deficiency while eating a varied diet?
That is possible, though it is less likely. Eating a varied diet rules out one route, namely insufficient intake, but not the other two. Reduced absorption in the gastrointestinal tract or increased loss are independent of what is on your plate. A healthy diet is therefore a good foundation, but not a guarantee in every situation.
Can you use two magnesium supplements at the same time?
Using two products containing magnesium at the same time increases your total intake. Add up how much magnesium you are getting per day from each supplement and stay within the recommended daily dose. Magnesium citrate can also have a mild laxative effect when used in excess. That is why we never recommend FORGE and DUSK together: both contain magnesium, so you choose one or the other.
What does the RI percentage on a magnesium supplement mean?
RI stands for reference intake, a fixed reference value used on labels to make amounts comparable. The percentage shows what portion of that reference a daily dose delivers. It is not personal advice about what you need, because your diet is not factored in. A percentage of 100 or higher is therefore not a goal in itself.
Sources
The Daily Ritual
Magnesium Complex (4-in-1) (FORGE)
Combine with
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Magnesium Complex (4-in-1) (FORGE)
The Daily Ritual
€14,95
