Far too many people are suffering with leg cramps according to new research. The report commissioned by RealMag Legs, a specially designed magnesium food supplement from Bausch + Lomb, questioned 1,000 people aged 30-65 years, revealed that 97 per cent had suffered with cramps at some point – and a massive 60 per cent had been woken during the night with cramping pain.
Despite suffering and deliberating with cramps few people knew that one of the causes of leg cramps is magnesium deficiency. Just 14 per cent of those questioned seemed to know anything about magnesium and muscular health. Most people in western countries , including those in the UK have dietary intakes of magnesium below the recommended level.
Thankfully, scientific research has revealed the potential for a new magnesium food supplement, RealMag Legs, from Bausch + Lomb, which is associated with relieving people experiencing leg cramps.
RealMag Legs is a new food supplement with a unique formula containing magnesium oxide, vitamin B6 and vitamin E. Magnesium helps to maintain normal muscle function.
Nocturnal leg cramps, usually involving the calf muscles or the small muscles of the foot are a common and distressing problem. These nocturnal cramps are episodes of pain, usually lasting up to a few minutes, caused by sudden, intense voluntary contractions of muscles or muscle groups, which can cause significant stress.
When asked what they thought caused cramps, almost a third of participants in the RealMag Legs research (32%) said they thought cramps were due to using muscles they didn’t normally use regularly, while 18% thought they got cramps due to exercising too much.
Despite the fact that magnesium deficiency can be an underlying reason for cramp, and many people in the UK have dietary intakes below the recommended level, only one in six (15%) believed nutritional imbalance to be a cause.
The research also revealed that less than 0.5% of participants took a food supplement of any kind which could help to relieve cramps. The majority managed their cramps by stretching (65%), massaging the painful area (39%) or getting up and walking around (38%).
Commenting on the science behind RealMag Legs Dr Emma Derbyshire, leading nutritionistand advisor to WINK – an independent eye care panel from Bausch + Lomb remarks: “Most people in the western world do not get enough magnesium and 50 per cent have low levels of magnesium in their bodies.2 Low levels of magnesium are associated with nocturnal leg cramps. Although magnesium is available in various forms and availability to the body varies, magnesium oxide has been proven in those who are low in magnesium to be superior to other forms of magnesium to the body’s cells.
“RealMag Legs provides this form of magnesium oxide and hence is efficacious in making magnesium available to the cells. When tested in an independent study, RealMag Legs demonstrated a significant reduction in leg cramps among 41 people who were low in magnesium and suffering from this distressing condition.
“In a placebo controlled clinical trial among 32 people suffering from nocturnal leg cramps, the formulation present in RealMag Legs stopped leg cramps in 82 per cent of the study participants. The placebo, however, failed to stop leg cramps, with 28 per cent of subjects stating that it reduced, but did not stop their cramps.
“The science behind RealMag Leg demonstrates how effective RealMag Legs can be to help relieve muscular cramps – by directly helping to deliver the magnesium intracellularly where it has a potential for efficacy in the highly distressing condition.”
RealMag Legs is available at a RRP of £8.99
Back of pack information:
RealMag Legs should not be taken by individuals with renal failure. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Do not exceed the recommended daily dose. Store the product in a cool and dry place. Keep out of reach of children. RealMag Legs is for people aged 12 and older.
WINK is an independent expert panel and information body, set up to provide balanced information on eye health. It is supported by a restricted educational grant from Bausch + Lomb.