A guide to magnesium - understand its vital role in your health!
By Jan Fredrik Poleszynski - Clinic for Integrated Medicine - Copyright 2024
Magnesium is a superhero among minerals. Essential for over three hundred biochemical and enzyme reactions in the body. These important nutritional functions include helping with muscle and nerve function, regulating blood pressure and supporting the immune system, producing and playing a central role in maintaining overall health.
Why magnesium deficiency is common and worrisome
Despite its importance, there are a significant number of people who fail to get sufficient magnesium through their diet. This widespread deficiency can trigger a number of health problems, including:
Fatigue and general weakness: Without enough magnesium, your body cannot produce energy efficiently, leading to fatigue and weakness.
Muscle cramps and tension: Magnesium is important for muscle relaxation; Deficiency can cause cramps and muscle tension.
Headaches and migraines: Magnesium affects the release of neurotransmitters and vasoconstriction; Deficiencies can trigger headaches and migraines.
Sleep difficulties: Magnesium plays a key role in calming the nervous system, which is necessary for good sleep.
Mood swings and anxiety: Adequate magnesium levels can help regulate mood disorders.
High blood pressure and cardiovascular problems: Magnesium helps dilate blood vessels, which affects blood pressure and heart health.
Bone health: Magnesium is essential for bone formation and affects the physical structure of bones. It is magnesium that makes bone structure strong and flexible, not calcium.
Magnesium from food
Magnesium is found in foods such as green vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes, the modern diet often falls short when it comes to providing enough magnesium. In addition, modern people are often exposed to a high level of stress and toxins from food, water, lye, clothes, the environment we live in, which means that the body needs more magnesium than in previous times.
Explore common forms of magnesium supplementation
Each form of magnesium provides unique benefits and can meet different health needs:
Magnesium citrate
Well absorbable: Ideal for restoring depleted magnesium levels and helping with constipation.
Benefits: Supports digestion and can help manage anxiety and migraine symptoms.
Magnesium glycinate
Gentle on the stomach: combines magnesium with the amino acid glycine, which increases bioavailability.
Benefits: Promotes relaxation, improves sleep quality and supports general mental health.
Versatile use of magnesium chloride
Well absorbed and suitable for current use.
Benefits: Increases energy, improves muscle function and supports general health.
Magnesium oxide
May help ease indigestion: Less bioavailable, primarily used for digestive symptoms.
Benefits: Effective against heartburn, indigestion and constipation.
Magnesium lactate
Well absorbed and suitable for those with significant deficiencies.
Benefits: Used for medical conditions that require high doses of magnesium.
Magnesium L-threonate
Good for the brain brain health: Known for its ability to improve cognitive function.
Benefits: Supports brain health and can improve memory and cognitive function and counteracts migraines.
Magnesium malate
Good for the muscles: Easily digested and stays in the body longer.
Benefits: Helps regulate energy levels and can relieve muscle pain.
Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts)
Limited topical benefits: Known for bathing water; effect via skin absorption can be debated.
Choosing the right magnesium for your needs
When choosing a magnesium supplement, consider your specific health goals—whether it's improving sleep, managing constipation, or improving cognitive function. Also consider the bioavailability of different forms, which affects how well your body can absorb and utilize the mineral.
Consult a health advisor: Especially if you have underlying health conditions or are taking other medicines. Tests such as Spectrolabo photospectrometry provide quick feedback and status of how much magnesium is present at cellular level in the body.
Dosage: 360-500 mg of extra magnesium per day is generally recommended, but sensitivity varies, so start low and adjust as needed. If you are magnesium deficient, you may benefit from using a combination of three forms of magnesium after an initial build-up period. Most adults in the West are deficient in magnesium (as well as iodine). A period of higher dosage can help restore natural reservoirs in the body. Magnesium can be toxic at doses of 5000 mg (or more) per day. So, unless you have a special health condition (kidney failure, low blood pressure or something else that may be a contraindication) dosage for 360 – 1000 mg can be used safely.
Receive all the benefits of the different forms of magnesium: How can I combine different forms and dosages? Here is an example we have used successfully in our clinic (the dosage is considered high, so it requires a good health check and a build-up of smaller doses that gradually reach the high dose-intensive period).
Whole Body Magnesium Foundation: ReMag (Dr. Carol Dean's Pico Size Magnesium Liquid)
Advantages: Very good absorption due to very small particle size (only ions). Increases energy, improves muscle function, and supports general health. Suggested dosage: 1/2 teaspoon in a large glass of purified water, twice a day. day, for your meals. It will deliver 300 mg of easily absorbable magnesium for your body.
Sleep and well-being: Magnesium glycinate
Advantages: Gentle on the stomach, easy to absorb. Promotes relaxation, improves sleep quality and supports general mental health. Suggested dosage: One 500 mg capsule in the evening.
For the brain and nervous system: Magnesium L-threonate
Advantages: Gentle on the stomach, good absorption, passes the blood/brain barrier. Supports brain health and can improve memory and cognitive function.
Suggested dosage: Leading brands (Life Extension and Time Health) offer 2000 mg of magnesium L-threonate in a dose of three capsules. Provides 144 mg of elemental magnesium. Take one capsule / tablet in the morning, one in the middle of the day and one in the evening to improve sleep and relaxation.
Total dose for a high dose recovery period will give +- 1000 mg of elemental magnesium.
Listen to your body: Monitor how your body reacts to different forms and adjust your intake accordingly. Always start low, introducing new forms of dietary supplements one by one over a period of a fortnight or more if necessary.
The impact of magnesium on aging and cognitive health research
by leading researcher highlights magnesium's significant impact on aging, noting that marginal magnesium deficiency can reduce lifespan and accelerate age-related deterioration. Magnesium plays a critical role in maintaining the neuromuscular, cardiovascular, endocrine and immune systems, and its adequacy is even more critical as absorption declines with age.
The role of magnesium in neurodegenerative diseases
Magnesium's potential to act as a neuroprotective agent is increasingly recognized. It helps maintain neuronal ion homeostasis, reduces inflammation and prevents excitotoxicity, which is essential to combat cognitive decline and improve neurodegenerative conditions.
Conclusion
Magnesium's role in human health is large and multifaceted, affecting everything from energy metabolism to brain function. Ensuring adequate magnesium intake, either through diet or supplementation, is important for maintaining health and vitality, especially as you age. Always consult with your health care professional to tailor magnesium supplements to your personal health needs to achieve the best possible results for your well-being.
