Magnesium daily requirement: What to consider?

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The correct magnesium intake and dosage

The daily magnesium requirement can be achieved with a conscious and targeted diet or the use of dietary supplements. Here you can find out how your individual daily magnesium requirement is made up, what to bear in mind when taking magnesium and what possible side effects can occur.

Magnesium dosage: How much magnesium per day is recommended?

How much magnesium should be taken in a day varies depending on age, gender and, in some cases, life circumstances. This is because certain factors can lead to an increased magnesium requirement or consumption.

Magnesium Tagesbedarf im Kalender markieren

Pregnancy & Lactation
Competitive sports & physical exertion
Taking medication
Diseases
Chronic alcohol consumption
Chronic stress

The German Nutrition Society (DGE) has established guideline values for the recommended daily intake of magnesium. The exact daily magnesium requirement is not precisely defined scientifically, but the following table helps to orient the magnesium requirement.

Magnesium daily requirement at a glance

Age	mg/day
	Male	Female
Babies
0 to under 4 months*	24
4 to under 12 months	60
Children
1 to under 4 years	80
4 to under 7 years	120
7 to under 10 years	170
19 to under 13 years	230	250
13 to under 15 years	310	310
Teenagers & Adults
15 to under 19 years	400	350
19 to under 25 years	400	310
25 to under 51 years	350	300
51 years under 65 years	350	300
65 years and older	350	300
Pregnant woman **		310
Breastfeeding		390

https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/referenzwerte/magnesium/

*Estimates
**Pregnant < 19 years 350 mg

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Magnesium requirements during pregnancy and lactation

An increased magnesium requirement during pregnancy and breastfeeding is due to the additional magnesium needs of the unborn child, the increased urine excretion and the increased magnesium consumption of the mother.

To avoid a magnesium deficiency, pregnant and breastfeeding women should consult their doctor and clarify how magnesium intake should be ensured. Dietary magnesium supplements in particular should only be taken after consulting a doctor. In the case of supplementary intake, the doctor will advise you on the duration of intake and dosage.

The correct magnesium dosage

First of all, you should pay attention to a magnesium-rich diet on a permanent basis in order to cover your daily magnesium requirement. This must be determined individually and cannot be generalized.

As a general rule, a balanced and varied diet alone can usually provide the body with all the nutrients it needs. If, after consultation on the subject of magnesium dosage, your doctor has advised you to take additional magnesium supplements, you should take note of a few things. According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, a maximum of 250 milligrams of the mineral should be taken in the form of dietary supplements.

It is good to know that there is rarely a risk of overdose in a healthy person. Even in the case of magnesium intake above the recommended maximum value, an increased amount of magnesium is excreted again via the kidneys over time. However, caution is advised for people with impaired kidney function: They should not determine their magnesium dosage independently, but in consultation with a physician.

To the nutrition tips

Magnesium intake through preparations

When taking magnesium supplements, you should pay attention to the following points:

Take the preparations for a period of at least four to six weeks
Make sure that you take them regularly
With irregular intake, the magnesium stores cannot be filled properly
In this way, the mineral cannot take effect or a magnesium deficiency can be corrected.
After about four weeks, the first signs of an improved magnesium supply are visible.

Magnesium intake through dietary supplements is usually independent of the time of day or meal. However, high-dose magnesium is usually better tolerated at the time of meal intake. If the magnesium intake serves to treat nocturnal seizures, the magnesium should be taken before bedtime.

What happens if too little magnesium is taken?

As a rule of thumb for the daily magnesium requirement, what is consumed or excreted must be replenished from outside. Otherwise, a sufficient supply is not ensured and an undersupply of magnesium can occur. A dietary supplement with Magnetrans® duo-aktiv 400mg, 375mg ultra, direct granules or drinking granules can therefore often be useful.

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