Can Magnesium Help Weight Loss?

Magnesium feels like it's a “super” mineral these days. People use it to help with everything from insomnia to constipation. More recently, people are exploring magnesium’s role in weight loss too. 

Does magnesium work for weight loss?

Magnesium helps your body work more smoothly — from regulating your metabolism to reducing inflammation. It isn’t a weight-loss miracle drug. But magnesium may support some functions of your body that affect body weight. 

A study from 2020 showed that taking magnesium supplements helped some people lose weight. The greatest weight loss was seen in females and in people who had:

• Diabetes or insulin resistance

• Hypertension

• Obesity

• Low levels of magnesium on a blood test, known as magnesium deficiency

Another study showed that higher magnesium intake was linked with a lower chance of developing obesity. 

Here’s how magnesium works in ways that might affect your weight. 

Suppressing hunger

Studies show that magnesium suppresses hunger. This is likely because magnesium causes your small intestine to release a hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK). CCK affects your hunger level. And it sends signals to your body that you’re full. 

Improve energy metabolism

Magnesium plays a critical role in producing a molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the main source of energy for your body. But the body can only use ATP when magnesium is around. Increasing your magnesium levels can help your body use energy more efficiently. This may prevent your body from storing excess calories as fat. And that can lower your risk of obesity and other metabolic disorders. 

Reducing inflammation

Long-term inflammation has been linked to obesity and difficulty losing weight. Magnesium can act as an antioxidant, which reduces inflammation in your body. And it can reduce inflammation found in the blood. This may help your body hold on to less fat. And it may help with weight loss too.

Blood sugar regulation

Magnesium may help lower insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is when your cells don’t respond to insulin as well. It results in higher glucose levels in your blood. This can contribute to weight gain. Insulin resistance is also linked to conditions like: 

• Diabetes

• Metabolic syndrome

• Coronary artery disease

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Getting enough magnesium may improve insulin sensitivity, or your body’s response to insulin. This may help to reduce the fat accumulation that can happen with insulin resistance.

Improving sleep

Magnesium may help with your sleep by increasing:

• The amount of time you spend asleep

• Your sleep quality

However, more research studies are needed before we can say for sure that taking magnesium can improve your sleep. 

What we do know is that sleep is important in weight management. Poor sleep can disrupt some of the hormones that regulate your appetite. It can also affect your dietary choices in ways that may lead to weight gain. 

Which type of magnesium supplement is best for weight loss?

There isn’t one type of magnesium that’s best for weight loss. 

Before you consider a supplement, remember that eating more foods high in magnesium is the best way to make sure your magnesium levels are in range. Your body can usually absorb the vitamins and minerals from food better than it can from supplements. 

Foods high in magnesium include:

• Nuts and seeds

• Leafy greens, like spinach

• Fortified breakfast cereals

• Beans, like black beans 

If you want to take a magnesium supplement, there are a few different kinds. And different types of magnesium are absorbed differently. The easiest magnesium supplements to absorb are:

• Magnesium glycinate

• Citrate

• Lactate

• Chloride

What are the side effects of taking magnesium for weight loss?

Some of the most common side effects of taking magnesium are related to your gut or bowel movements, like: 

• Nausea

• Stomach cramping

• Diarrhea

After all, magnesium is often used for constipation. 

It may also lead to mild drowsiness. This is why some people take it for sleep and anxiety. 

These side effects are more likely if you take higher doses. For most adults, the maximum amount of magnesium recommended is 350 mg a day. If you take too much magnesium, your kidneys will pee out the extra you don’t need.

If you have kidney disease, you may be at risk for dangerously high magnesium levels if you take a supplement. So, if you’ve ever had any problems with kidney function, talk to your healthcare team before you take extra magnesium.

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Written by:

Nicole Andonian, MD

Nicole Andonian, MD, is a private practice anesthesiologist in Orange County, California. Her focus is in general anesthesia, regional anesthesia, and acute pain management.

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

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