Dear Mr. Jelínek,

What is the protocol for using magnesium before and during prolonged physical activity? Specifically, I'm referring to a demanding multi-day trek at high altitudes. Is it sufficient to take magnesium every evening, or is it better to start taking it a few days before the trek begins?

Thank you very much for your response.

The situation of supportive magnesium supplementation, particularly on a preventive basis, is "unfortunate" in practice. The principle here is simple: For the optimal functioning of bodily systems, a "reasonable" Ca:Mg ratio must be maintained, typically presented as 2-2.5:1. The issue is that the average population successfully avoids magnesium sources in their diet (whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds), leading to an imbalance of both elements, which is further exacerbated by the increased consumption of dairy products as a key source of calcium. In this situation, supplementing the body with magnesium seems like an optimal solution, yet users fail to realize that:

1. A magnesium deficiency indicates a situation where the intake of this element oscillates around half of the RI. It must be considered that the bioavailability of Mg from the diet is very low (ranging from 10-30% depending on its source). The actual amount of Mg that the body has available is significantly lower than what nutritional charts indicate when evaluating diet quality.

2. Magnesium supplementation typically involves doses around recommended values (350-400 mg), and the bioavailability in new preparations is continually increasing (products with bioavailability values around 80-85% are available). This means that even a Mg dose around RI will result in not only a significant but also a rapid change in the ratios of both elements.

In such cases, the user will be able to subjectively assess the change, most commonly occurring in states of poor psychological disposition, where Mg is successfully administered to alleviate tension. If supplementing Mg due to the need to reduce muscle tension and thus avert potential cramps or reduce injury risk, caution is advised because metabolism is not evolutionarily prepared for such rapid changes in transmineralization processes. Minerals are transported in the body by enzymes, where they "compete" with each other based on complex antagonistic relationships. If a dramatic imbalance suddenly occurs between them, metabolism has to adapt, resulting in an excessive reduction of neuromuscular tension. In practice, this means that movement patterns, which you have long practiced, may not cope with a rapid change in tension, leading to injury (during physical exertion muscles exhibit certain tension, which the magnesium excess suppresses) - most commonly torn tendons, ligaments, and muscles.

This is not meant to scare you but to highlight the unnaturalness of such actions, as the high bioavailability from a supplement creates an unnatural situation for which we do not provide the body sufficient time for adaptation. Personally, I would first "align" the magnesium deficiency through natural diet and for high-stress situations have a supplement ready, ideally used before sleep, additionally in lower doses (in this case the rule "more = better" should not apply).

Themes:  Magnesium