These minerals are important for muscle function.

The purpose of the following study was to analyze the effects of magnesium supplementation in preventing muscle damage in professional cyclists taking part in a 21-day cycling stage race (Cordova A, et al., 2019).

18 male professional cyclists from two teams were participating in the research. They were divided into 2 groups. One was the placebo group which was compared with the treatment group taking 400mg of magnesium per day for 21 days of competition. Blood tests were performed several times.

At the end of the study the researchers concluded that magnesium supplementation seems to exert a protective effect on muscle damage.

Zinc is another important mineral affecting muscle regeneration. Even mild zinc deficiency could have severe consequences on health and sport performance (Hernandez-Camacho JD, et al., 2020).

It is not uncommon to be deficient in these minerals. It is better to take the most common minerals together and in the form of amino acid chelates which are better absorbed.

References

Alfredo Córdova, Juan Mielgo-Ayuso, Enrique Roche, Alberto Caballero-García, Diego Fernandez-Lázaro, Impact of Magnesium Supplementation in Muscle Damage of Professional Cyclists Competing in a Stage Race, Nutrients. 2019 Aug 16;11(8):1927.

Juan Diego Hernández-Camacho, Cristina Vicente-García, Douglas S Parsons, Ignacio Navas-Enamorado, Zinc at the crossroads of exercise and proteostasis, Redox Biol. 2020 Aug;35:101529.