ReviewCureus2026
From Ion to Iron: A Focused Narrative Literature Review of Magnesium Supplementation for Muscle Strength and Recovery.
Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in numerous physiological processes, including energy metabolism, neuromuscular function, protein synthesis, and inflammatory regulation. Given these roles, magnesium supplementation has received increasing attention as a potential strategy to support exercise performance and recovery. This review aimed to evaluate the current evidence regarding magnesium intake and its effects on exercise performance, skeletal muscle recovery, body composition, and inflammatory responses. A focused narrative literature review was conducted using PubMed to identify studies published between 2000 and 2025 that contained the terms "magnesium" and "muscle" in the title. Review articles, meta-analyses, animal studies, commentaries, guidelines, and studies lacking clinical muscle-related outcomes were excluded. Outcomes of interest included exercise performance, recovery measures, body composition, and inflammatory markers. Of 108 records identified, 10 studies met inclusion criteria, including six randomized controlled trials and four observational studies. Evidence regarding exercise performance was inconsistent. Some randomized trials demonstrated improvements in muscular strength, functional mobility, perceived exertion, and repetitions to failure, whereas others reported no performance benefit or reductions in maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) and sprint power with higher-dose supplementation. Recovery-related outcomes were generally more favorable, with several studies reporting reduced muscle soreness, improved perceived recovery, and lower markers of exercise-induced muscle damage. Magnesium intake was also associated with lower concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6. Observational studies consistently demonstrated associations between higher dietary magnesium intake and greater skeletal muscle mass, improved body composition, and lower systemic inflammation. Current evidence suggests that magnesium supplementation may provide greater benefit for exercise recovery and inflammatory regulation than for direct enhancement of athletic performance. Variability in study design, magnesium formulation, supplementation dose, participant characteristics, and baseline magnesium status likely contributed to the inconsistent performance findings observed across studies. Magnesium supplementation may be most appropriately considered an adjunct recovery-support strategy rather than a primary ergogenic aid. Large, well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed to clarify optimal dosing strategies, identify populations most likely to benefit, and further elucidate the mechanisms through which magnesium influences muscle function and exercise adaptation.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.