It’s pretty obvious that calcium is a key mineral for athletes. After all, athletic performance depends on bone and muscle strength, and boatloads of research have shown calcium helps young people build strong bones and stems bone loss in older folks.*<1>, <2>,<3> ,<4> But if you’re a competitor, there’s another mineral that’s just as important for you but not as well known: Magnesium!
Here are five key reasons why you need magnesium:
- Magnesium Strengthens Bones, Too. Taken by itself, calcium can lose its way in the body, ending up in the arteries (where it can cause trouble) instead of the bones (where it belongs).<5> Magnesium is like a taxi for calcium: it helps calcium get where it needs to go. Lots of human studies have shown magnesium promotes bone health in people of all ages, from kiddos to seniors.*<6> ,<7> ,<8>
- Magnesium May Ease Muscle Cramps. Nothing stops you short during a tennis match or swim meet like a cramping muscle. Being low in magnesium may sometimes be to blame for these pesky incidents.*<9> One of magnesium’s key functions is muscular relaxation.* (That’s not surprising when you consider about 40 to 50 percent of the body’s magnesium stores are in muscle tissue.)<10>
- Magnesium Oxygenates Your Muscles. Muscle oxygenation is key to what you can accomplish as an athlete because your large skeletal muscles need oxygen for endurance, speed, and power. One small, placebo-controlled study found that magnesium nearly doubled muscle oxygenation in triathletes who were engaging in high-intensity exercise.*<11>
- Magnesium Improves Exercise Capacity. The same small study mentioned above also tracked triathletes’ exercise capacity—in other words, how much physical exertion they could sustain. Swimming, cycling, and running times all decreased among the lucky competitors who got the magnesium supplements compared to those who got the sugar pills.*<12>
- Magnesium Helps You Drift Off. Athletes need extra shut-eye to speed recovery and boost performance. In fact, the National Athletic Trainers Association recommends you get an extra hour of sleep every night while in training.<13> Luckily, research shows magnesium may help you fall asleep faster and sleep longer.*<14>
Are You Getting Enough?
You may think you get plenty of calcium and magnesium through your diet, and maybe you’re right. But you should also consider how much you’re losing through sweat. One analysis found that athletes lost an average of 140 mg of calcium per day (the DV is 1,300 mg).<15> Athletes in another study lost up to 60 mg of magnesium (the DV is 420 mg) per liter of sweat.<16> (It’s normal to lose 0.8 to 1.4 liters of sweat per hour while working out.) Yikes!
We’ve got the answer
You can cover your bases with Salus Calcium-Magnesium Liquid herbal and mineral supplement. This tasty tonic provides 155 mg of calcium and 186 mg of magnesium per serving, in highly absorbable forms. Unlike minerals that come in capsules or tablets, which your digestive system needs to break down for your body to use, this liquid supplement allows 98 percent of the elemental calcium and magnesium to be easily available. And the dose is just right for everyday use.
Made with a fruit juice and herbal base, Salus Calcium-Magnesium also includes zinc and vitamin D for extra support. What it doesn’t have is wheat, gluten, yeast, dairy, lactose, alcohol, GMOs, artificial additives, or preservatives.
Just take two tablespoons a day. Your bones and muscles will thank you!
References
<1> Lee WT et al. Br J Nutr. 1995 Jul; 74(1):125-39.
<2> Kawabata F, et al. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2014;78(12):2081-8.
<3> Ruml LA et al. Am J Ther. 1999 Nov; 6(6):303-11.
<4> Lau EM et al. Osteoporos Int. 1992 Jul; 2(4):168-73.
<5> Anderson JJB, et al. J Am Heart Assoc. 2016 Oct 11;5(10).
<6> Dimai HP, et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1998 Aug;83(8):2742-8.
<7> Stendig-Lindberg G, Tepper R, Leichter I. Magnes. Res. 1993 Jun;6(2):155-63.
<8> Aydin H, et al. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2010 Feb;133(2):136-43.
<9> Mayo Clinic. 2019. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/muscle-cramp/symptoms-causes/syc-20350820
<10> Oregon State University. Linus Pauling Institute: Micronutrient Information Center. 2019. https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/magnesium
<11> Golf SW, et al. Cardiovasc Drugs. 1998 Sep; 12 Suppl 2:197-202.
<12> Golf SW, et al. 1998.
<13> Griffin RM. WebMD. 2012. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/sleep-athletic-performance
<14> Abasi B, et al. J Res Med Sci. 2012 Dec;17(12):1161-9.
<15> Klesges RC, et al. JAMA. 1996 Jul 17;276(3):226-30.
<16> Nielsen FH, Lukaski HC. Magnes Res. 2006 Sep;19(3):180-9.
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
