Does magnesium reduce how much you sweat?
Answer
No. Sweat rate is determined by conditions, work rate, body size and acclimatisation. No authorised claim connects magnesium to sweating in either direction.
Key takeaways
- Does it reduce sweating?
- No. No authorised claim connects magnesium to sweat rate.
- What does determine sweat rate?
- Conditions, work rate, body size, clothing and how heat acclimatised a player is.
- Can I measure mine?
- Yes, with bathroom scales. Weigh before and after a session and add back what you drank.
What actually sets sweat rate
Ambient temperature and humidity, how hard a player is working, body size, what they are wearing and how acclimatised they are to the heat. Those explain almost all of the variation between players and between sessions.
Acclimatisation is the one most people do not expect: a player training regularly in heat starts sweating earlier and more, which is an adaptation rather than a problem. There is no nutrient that turns it up or down.
What magnesium does relate to
It is lost in sweat, in small amounts relative to sodium, so heavy sweating widens the gap between intake and requirement across a season.
That is an intake argument rather than a sweat rate one. Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate covers 80 percent of the 375mg reference value in one two capsule serving at 22p a day, and the serving does not change with how much a player sweats.
What acclimatisation actually does
A player training regularly in heat starts sweating earlier and produces more sweat, with a lower sodium concentration in it. That is an adaptation rather than a problem, and it is why a player two weeks into a warm pre season sweats visibly more than in week one while coping better. It also means sweat rate measured once is not a fixed number.
What clothing does
Base layers, scrum caps and heavy training tops all raise sweat rate by reducing evaporation, and in winter players routinely overdress for a session and then stand around cold afterwards. That combination produces more sweat during and a faster chill after, both of which are worth managing and neither of which is a nutrient question.
The full version
- Magnesium and sweat loss in rugbyHow much is actually lost and how to measure your own rate.
- Magnesium and dehydration in rugbyWhere hydration and daily intake genuinely separate.
The product
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate is the 300mg elemental one at 22p a day, a two capsule serving covering 80 percent of the 375mg reference value, UK made and independently lab tested for purity.
- 300mg elemental magnesium, 80% NRV
- Bisglycinate, best tolerated common form
- UK made to GMP, lab tested for purity
- Not batch certified for sport
Sharper Rugby is published by Futuro Labs. If you buy through this link Futuro Labs earns from the sale. Prices are set by Amazon.
Questions players ask
Does magnesium affect sweating?
No authorised claim connects it to sweat rate in either direction.
What sets sweat rate?
Conditions, work rate, body size, clothing and heat acclimatisation.
Is sweating more a bad sign?
Not necessarily. Acclimatised players sweat earlier and more, which is an adaptation.