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Comment by binarypaean

Your body has to move calcium ions in and out of (striated) muscles to trigger contractions. This is done through "calcium channels". Mg2+ is an antagonist to the activation of calcium channels.

You need enough calcium to achieve a strong reliable contraction, and enough magnesium to keep the channels "closed" when they should be closed (among very many other physiological uses).

In short, you need a balance of calcium and magnesium for reliable muscle function. A gross excess or lack of either is bad.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5652077/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4315934/

parent binarypaean 5 years ago

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