Quality of Health Depends on Magnesium

Image by Emre Gen via Pixabay

I am loathe to sound the alarm unless I need to make a point that gets through as it did not get through to me: Magnesium supplementation is a must for most people! My usual "don't listen to a word I say" does not apply. All adults need to address the magnesium deficiency problem we have by learning about magnesium and doing our own homework, because there is no reliable blood test to inform us. Within, is everything you need to get started.

Magnesium is an essential element required in over 300 reactions necessary for metabolic health. Scientific, anecdotal, and user evidence overwhelmingly supports the fact that likely ⅔ of Western population is deficient - for good but sad reasons - in this 4th most common mineral after calcium, sodium, and potassium.

Medical Evidence

Evidence supports the use of magnesium in:

• Migraine headache
• Metabolic syndrome
• Diabetes
• Hyperlipidemia aka elevated cholesterol and triglycerides
• Asthma
• PMS
• Preeclampsia
• Cardiac arrhythmias and other cardiac symptoms
• Poor memory

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Magnesium may also be recommended in:

• Prevention of renal calculi aka kidney stones
• Prevention of cataracts
• Adjunct depression therapy

​Anecdotal and user evidence supports the use of magnesium supplementation in:

• Anxiety
• Arthritis, rheumatoid and osteophytic
• Insomnia
• Non-restful sleep
• High blood pressure
• Fibromyalgia
• Restless leg syndrome
• Muscle cramps, aches, pains, numbness, and tingling
• Calcium buildup in arteries, tissues
• Dehydration
• Brain fog, poor concentration
• Constipation and IBS
• Mood disorders
• ...

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​"In clinical practice, optimizing magnesium status through diet and supplementation appears to be a safe, useful, and well-documented therapy for several medical conditions." - NIH

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What Depletes Magnesium

• Carbonated beverages, including 'naturally carbonated' water
• Diuretics, including coffee - although coffee contains magnesium, it's a net loss esp. if over consumed
• Ongoing vitamin D supplementation
• Alcoholic beverages, regular or excessive use
• Sugar, regular or excess use
• Ultra processed foods
• Excess exercise
• Antibiotics
• Pain medicines
• Excessive urination from diabetes that's not well managed
• Malnutrition
• Malabsorption from bowel diseases, like Crohn's, celiac, inflammatory
• Some medications
• Ongoing bicarbonate of soda
• Modern farming methods
• Relationship Stress - family, work, authorities

In cases where substances are needed, daily and medicinally, like vitamin D or bicarbonate of soda (which is an antidote to hyperkalemia), it is wise to always supplement with magnesium. In other cases, like coffee and sugar, it is wise to limit intake of those substances and rely on magnesium foods. In some cases, like carbonation, it is wise to omit carbonation from the diet, entirely. However, each individual is biochemically and lifestyle unique and should do their own investigation.

What Restores Magnesium

Magnesium is restored or replenished primarily by the whole foods we eat, the ultra processed foods we don't eat, what we expose our skin to via bath soaks or topical applications, and by dietary supplementation.

Supplementing with Magnesium means doing your homework before choosing
Some types of magnesium are not absorbed well by the body, resulting in a laxative effect, therefore should not be used as a daily supplement. Other types of magnesium absorb better, but do cost more. Magnesium from whole foods, on the other hand, is not known to have laxative effects unless the food, itself, does. Magnesium from foods is also safer from the perils of upper limits, whereas magnesium from supplementation should not exceed the recommended daily allowances without your doctor's approval. Magnesium absorbed through the skin appears to be as safe as magnesium foods. However, how much gets absorbed can vary from person to person and no studies have been done. 

The case for supplementation
Some conditions of magnesium deficiency cannot be resolved without supplementation. This happens when the depletion of magnesium outweighs the restoration; if 2/3 of us are deficient, then this is clearly the case. Perhaps that is one reason why there are at least 10 magnesium supplement sources to choose from today, whereas not too long ago there were only 4.

Allowances

If you use magnesium supplements to restore your magnesium levels, it is vital that you not exceed the upper limits for your age and gender. In general, too much magnesium can cause nearly as many problems as too little, including death. So please supplement responsibly:

From Harvard School of Public Health:

• RDA:  The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for adults 19-51+ years is 400-420 mg daily for men and 310-320 mg for women. Pregnancy requires about 350-360 mg daily and lactation, 310-320 mg.
• UL:  The Tolerable Upper Intake Level is the maximum daily intake unlikely to cause harmful effects on health. The UL for magnesium is 350 milligrams from supplements only. High-dose supplements can lead to diarrhea, nausea, and cramping in some people. Extra magnesium from food is safe because the kidneys will eliminate excess amounts in urine.

For detailed age-specific allowances see NIH Fact Sheet.

Top Food Sources

This is a sampling of food source options, not a complete list. It is easy enough to query responsible internet sites to find out the magnesium levels in the foods you consume.

• Dark chocolate - 64.6 mg per 1 oz
• Oats, old fashioned, cooked - 276.12 mg per 1 cup serving
• Blackstrap, unsulphured molasses - 10% of Daily Value per 1 Tbsp serving.
• Avocado, whole - 58 mg per 1 medium
• Popcorn - 37 mg per 1 oz serving  
• Whole wheat/Ancient grains - 24 mg per 1 slice
• Pink salt - 1.0 mg compared to table salt at 0.0139
• *Vegetables not boiled - varies

*Boiling vegetables causes their magnesium levels to end up in the water, along with potentially other elements that may or may not be healthy to consume. Ie. Although they are a source of magnesium, starchy vegetables should be boiled to reduce their starch content, and legumes should be boiled to reduce lectins.

Supplement & Topical Forms

Supplement Form General Guidelines

• Do not exceed RDA for your gender and age. Overdoing magnesium is just as problematic as being deficient.
• Take with plenty of water.
• Take with a meal to reduce laxative effect.
• Take at the same time each day for best results.

Do your own research
The following is a quick guide sourced mainly from Healthline:

​Magnesium Bicarbonate

• Not recommended due to carbonation

Magnesium Chloride 

• Magnesium + chlorine + salt
• Well absorbed, therefore useful to treat magnesium deficiency
• Helps with heartburn, constipation, low Mg levels
• Applied topically in lotions or oils, may relieve muscle soreness or cramps, but does not boost magnesium levels
• May help rheumatoid arthritis

Magnesium Citrate

• Magnesium oxide + citric acid
• Likely most bioavailable form of Mg
• Softens stool and relieves constipation, muscle performance, calcium transport regulation to serve bone formation, prevent arrhythmia and atherosclerosis.
• May help depression and anxiety

Magnesium Glycinate 

• Magnesium + glycine
• Helps protein construction
• Glycine on its own, in animal studies, helps sleep and reduces inflammation that impacts heart disease and diabetes
• Easily absorbed and has calming properties
• May help mental health issues like anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia

Magnesium L-threonate

• Magnesium + threonic acid (from vitamin C)
• Easily absorbed and crosses blood/brain barrier
• Helps manage brain disorders like depression, Alzheimers, and age-related memory loss
• Magtein study on memory

Magnesium Lactate

• Magnesium + lactic acid
• Normally used as a food additive, not a supplement, unless countering a rare condition that requires higher doses than normal of daily magnesium
• Gentler on and easily absorbed by digestive tract, so body can tolerate it better as well as in higher volume
• May help treat stress and anxiety

Magnesium Malate

• Magnesium Malate
• Magnesium + malic acid from fruit source
• Well absorbed by digestive tract, so good for replenishing Mg levels
• May be gentler on system and have less of a laxative effect than others.
• Helps relieve pain, improve exercise performance, boost energy levels, fight diabetes, and promote heart health
• May help chronic conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue

Magnesium Orotate 

• Magnesium + orotic acid (involved in DNA construction)
• Easily absorbed and without strong laxative effects of other forms
• Helps heart health and those with heart disease, and popular with athletes and fitness enthusiasts
• Tends to be significantly more expensive and benefits may not justify the cost

Magnesium Oxide

• Magnesium + oxygen which forms a white powder
• Poorly absorbed by digestive tract so not typically used to treat magnesium deficiency
• Reduces heartburn, indigestion, constipation
• Binds to toxins, and works well with charcoal
• May help reduce migraine episodes

Magnesium Sulfate

• Magnesium + sulfur + oxygen - Known as epsom salts
• Internal use is for occasional constipation. If taking internally, follow package instructions and read warnings.
• Primary use is for bathing: ​
  • Use 2 cups or more in bathwater for soaking 
  • Helps soothe sore, achy muscles and relieves stress
  • May help detox
  • Try this relaxing bath recipe
• May be in lotions or body oils

Magnesium Taurate

• Magnesium + Taurine
• Helps promote healthy blood sugar levels, and helps lower blood pressure which may bolster heart health
• May help fibromyalgia

Signs Not Testing

There are no definitive medical tests to determine magnesium levels, which is, in part, why medical physicians remain mostly ignorant of this problem, despite how widespread it is. There is only individual due-diligence: Pay attention to the signs your body gives off in the name of often subtle symptoms - the body never lies. 

Caveat: Many of the signs of both low and high magnesium levels are the same or similar. If you get symptoms, look at your current magnesium intake to determine whether you are getting too much or too little. For example: If you are supplementing with magnesium and taking epsom salt baths and eating healthy, and you start getting diarrhea, heart palpitations, muscle weakness, etc., then your magnesium levels are likely too high. But if you are not supplementing and tend toward high sugar, carb, and processed foods, then your levels are likely too low. 

Potential signs of magnesium imbalance

• Anxiety
• Insomnia, sleepiness, non-restful sleep
• Irregular heartbeat, arrhythmia
• High blood pressure
• Fatigue, weakness, shakiness
• Muscle spasms or cramps
• Numbness and tingling
• Calcium buildup in arteries, tissues
• Dehydration
• Loss of appetite or low appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Brain fog, poor concentration, poor memory
• Headaches and chronic migraines
• Constipation and IBS
• Chronic pain and fibromyalgia
• Mood disorders, hyperexcitability, apathy

Long term magnesium imbalance may lead to

• Asthma
• Diabetes, considered a cause, but can go both ways
• High blood pressure and heart disease
• Osteoporosis
• Migraine headaches
• Rheumatoid arthritis

My Magnesium Story

My second-most helpful doctor used to tell me how important magnesium was. But, she also told me how important lots of supplements were. And, she never specified why magnesium was important, only that it was best taken topically. The magnesium cream she sold me was so slimy and nasty feeling on my skin, that I quit magnesium altogether without  a word.

Little did I know that many of my chronic conditions would be milder or non-existent if I had just understood the value and variety of magnesium and how to incorporate it into my life. That's why I shared the way I did, above: To give people the kind of information needed to have the best chance of a better life in their own body, above and beyond a good attitude, diet, and lifestyle - without having to learn the hard way.

The hard way for me was not even investigating the magnesium issue until late night foot cramps forced me to get out of bed and walk for extensive periods of time. I did a quick online look-up to be reminded that magnesium is often used to treat muscle cramps. I grabbed an old bottle of rarely-used magnesium oil from my clinic shelves and sprayed to cover feet, ankles, and lower legs. It worked. Nearly instantly the terrible muscle spasms faded. That prompted me to read a bit more on the subject.

Upon reading about how magnesium deficiency can occur, I learned that people who supplement with vitamin D on a long-term basis, need to supplement with magnesium, too. I'd been supplementing with D3 since 2012, when my doctor ordered it. 

In the ignorance born of impatience, I bought a magnesium supplement that contained multiple magnesium sources. I added it to my morning supplement routine.

A couple of weeks later, I realized that I no longer noticed any heart symptoms. Prior to this, I had fainted - and gained myself a terrific black eye by landing on a door knob on my way down - which started a series of appointments which led to heart concerns which led to having to wear a heart monitor - but they could find nothing wrong with my heart.

I had to wonder, "What changed?"
The only change in my routine that I could identify, was the addition of 2 sources of magnesium: The supplement, which actually contained 4 magnesium sources, plus a daily teaspoon or so of blackstrap, unsulphured molasses which happens to contain a good amount of magnesium. That was when I began my magnesium research and experimentation in earnest, which resulted in this blog entry.

Not the end of the story.
I recently spent 7 hours in the emergency room with what turned out to be a kidney stone. I have to wonder ... if I had started and stayed on magnesium long ago, might I have prevented this condition? The reports about magnesium and kidney stones suggest a strong yes. While there are different kinds of kidney stones, the most common is the stone made up primarily of calcium. Guess what magnesium reportedly does? It helps dissolve calcium where it doesn't belong. 
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​Either way, I am grateful to the ER staff whose professionalism and courtesy helped restore some faith in mainstream medicine, and also to my body for presenting me with the circumstances that brought magnesium to my much-needed attention. 

Edit Sep. 12, 2023:
Ultrasound results show no stone! Was it the magnesium-citrate I took every day, twice a day, that is known to help dissolve kidney stones? Was it the Eastern-oriented herbs I took to support kidney function? Or both? I'm not in the position to know for sure, but I think it is worth sending the message that kidney stones may be resolved naturally when the body is given what it needs to do so. And that, my friends, is what so-called alternative medicine is ultimately about: Give the body more of what it needs so that its immune system can do what it was designed to do, but may have been previously prevented in doing, likely due to dietary stress.

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Originally posted July 10, 2023