Magnesium as Food, Not Just a Number

Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in a wide range of normal physiological functions in the human body. It contributes to normal muscle and nerve function, supports energy-yielding metabolism, and plays a role in electrolyte balance, protein synthesis, and cell division. At a biochemical level, magnesium acts as a cofactor for hundreds of enzymes that regulate everyday metabolic processes. Because these processes occur continuously, magnesium is required as part of regular, long-term nutrition rather than as an occasional input.

Despite its importance, magnesium intake is often lower than recommended in many populations. Dietary surveys across Europe consistently indicate that a significant proportion of adults do not meet recommended magnesium intakes through diet alone. This is largely explained by modern dietary patterns that rely heavily on refined foods, alongside lower consumption of vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and leafy greens—foods that naturally contain magnesium as part of their structure. As a result, magnesium insufficiency is considered relatively common at a population level, even in diets that are otherwise adequate.

When magnesium intake is discussed, attention is often placed on the milligram values listed on supplement labels. However, magnesium intake and magnesium utilisation are not the same thing. The body does not absorb magnesium in a linear way, and higher intake does not automatically result in proportionally higher absorption. Human magnesium absorption is regulated by intestinal transport mechanisms and influenced by factors such as dose size, digestive transit time, competing minerals, and whether magnesium is consumed as part of food or in isolation. As intake increases, fractional absorption generally decreases, meaning that a portion of ingested magnesium may remain unabsorbed and be excreted.

Many magnesium supplements provide the mineral in isolated forms such as magnesium oxide, citrate, lactate, or bisglycinate. These forms are designed to deliver a defined amount of elemental magnesium in a compact dose. While this allows for precise quantification, it does not determine how magnesium is handled by the body. Different supplemental forms may show different absorption profiles depending on dose and individual conditions, and higher doses may influence gut motility and transit time, which can further affect uptake. For this reason, milligram content alone should not be interpreted on its own as a direct indicator of biological utilisation.

In contrast, magnesium in whole foods is not consumed as a free or isolated mineral. In plant foods, magnesium is naturally embedded within a complex food matrix that includes chlorophyll, organic acids, amino acids, fibres, and a wide range of phytochemicals. During digestion, this matrix is gradually broken down, releasing magnesium alongside other naturally occurring nutrients. This food-based context influences how magnesium interacts with digestive processes and absorption pathways.

Magnesium also functions as part of a broader nutrient network. It supports the activity of many enzymes involved in carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism, where its presence is required to stabilise enzyme structures and enable reactions to proceed. Magnesium interacts closely with other minerals such as calcium and potassium, particularly in processes related to normal muscle function and neuromuscular signalling. It also works alongside B-group vitamins, which participate in metabolic pathways that depend on magnesium-activated enzymes. These interactions illustrate why magnesium cannot be fully understood in isolation, but rather as part of a coordinated nutritional system.

This concept is often described as nutrient synergy. Nutrient synergy recognises that the biological role of a nutrient depends not only on its quantity, but also on the presence of complementary nutrients and the structure of the food in which it is delivered. Whole plant foods naturally reflect this multidimensional complexity, providing magnesium together with fibres, organic compounds, and micronutrients that support normal digestion and metabolism over time.

Bioavailability, from a nutritional perspective, is therefore shaped by context rather than chemistry alone. Scientific literature shows that magnesium absorption is fractional and dose-dependent, and that only a portion of ingested magnesium is absorbed, particularly at higher intakes. Estimates of fractional absorption vary depending on form, dose, and individual conditions, but it is well recognised that utilisation is influenced by the surrounding dietary environment. This helps explain why dietary patterns rich in vegetables, legumes, and whole plant foods are consistently associated with maintaining normal magnesium intake, even when total intake appears modest compared with supplemental doses.

Only Plants capsules are not designed to replace high-dose magnesium supplements. They are whole-food concentrates made from plants that naturally contain magnesium alongside many other micronutrients and bioactive compounds. In this context, magnesium is delivered as part of food rather than as an isolated mineral, reflecting the way magnesium is normally consumed in plant-based diets. The emphasis is on nutritional integration, diversity, and long-term dietary balance rather than on increasing single-nutrient doses.

When considering magnesium intake, it can be helpful to look beyond the question of how many milligrams are provided and to also consider how magnesium is presented to the body. Magnesium consumed as part of a familiar food matrix may be handled differently than magnesium consumed in isolated form, particularly as part of a varied and balanced diet. Whole-food sources and supplements can therefore be understood as serving different nutritional roles, depending on individual needs and dietary context.

Only Plants provides magnesium the way it naturally occurs in food: as part of a whole-plant matrix, rather than as an isolated number on a label.

Selected scientific references

Vormann J. Magnesium: nutrition and metabolism. Molecular Aspects of Medicine. 2003;24(1–3):27–37.

Gröber U, Schmidt J, Kisters K. Magnesium in prevention and therapy. Nutrients. 2015;7(9):8199–8226.

de Baaij JHF, Hoenderop JGJ, Bindels RJM. Magnesium in man: implications for health and disease. Physiological Reviews. 2015;95(1):1–46.

Fine KD, Santa Ana CA, Porter JL, Fordtran JS. Intestinal absorption of magnesium from food and supplements. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 1991;88(2):396–402.

Coudray C, Rambeau M, Feillet-Coudray C, et al. Bioavailability of magnesium from different sources. Magnesium Research. 2005;18(4):215–223.

EFSA NDA Panel. Dietary Reference Values for magnesium. EFSA Journal. 2015;13(7):4186.

Rosanoff A, Weaver CM, Rude RK. Suboptimal magnesium status in populations. Nutrition Reviews. 2012;70(3):153–164.