Magnesium

Introduction
Magnesium is one of the few nutrients that western civilizations have common deficiencies in^[1][2]. There exists statistics pointing at 32%^[4] and others pointing at between 50% to 90% of Americans not getting enough of it in their diets^[1][2][3]. It is found in foods like Oatmeal, nuts, fish, and certain vegetables^[2]. It has been implicated in ADHD, anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, heart disease, and several other ailments^[1][2]. It has been discussed that there also exists a proper ratio of calcium and magnesium, and similar to omega 3 and omega 6 the diet is skewed in a ratio that does not provide adequate nutrition (see figure 1)^[1][2]. For this cause, exploring the possibility of additional magnesium sources is beneficial in the aims of overall health. Many multivitamins, based on my own observation, do not have adequate levels of magnesium to counteract this possible deficiency, leaving it necessary for individuals to find outside sources.

In this entry the main focus will be on the health benefits of magnesium as well as exploring the myriad kinds and which are most effective.

The Foods

To enjoy the health benefits of magnesium, consume good dietary sources of magnesium, which include nuts (especially almonds), whole grains, wheat germ, fish, and green leafy vegetables. Approximately 80% of the magnesium is lost when whole grains are refined to white flour. Processed foods typically are low in this mineral, and as many as three-quarters of Americans consume less than the Recommended Dietary Allowance for magnesium.^[2]

Magnesium Deficiency Symptoms
The following comes from reference item 1 aka Magnesium: the key to health and life.
"Some of the common symptoms of magnesium deficiency include:[27,40,41]"

• Chronic fatigue, weakness and exhaustion
• Excessive noise and pain sensitivity
• High blood pressure
• Headaches
• Irritability, nervousness, anxiety
• Depression and apathy
• Muscle spasms, tics, cramps, tremors (especially of hands, feet, or facial muscles)
• Difficulty with memory and concentration
• Insomnia
• Chronic constipation
• Chronic excessive muscle tension
• Confusion and disorientation
• Anorexia (poor appetite)
• Emotional instability/overreaction
• Ataxia (an impaired ability to coordinate movement)
• Irregular or rapid heartbeat 

The Benefits
Having found a website^[2] which provides rather concise explanations of them all, I shall rather quote it here. There is also evidence supporting its use for " learning abilities, working memory, and short- and long-term memory in rats"^[3].

• Constipation
• Gall Stones
• Kidney Stones
• Heart Attacks
• Migraines
• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Strong Bones
• Strong Muscles
• High Blood Pressure and Hypertension
• Magnesium For Urinary Urge Incontinence
• Leg Cramps

Magnesium for Constipation
Easing constipation is one of the health benefits of magnesium. If your body has too little calcium and magnesium, you may have inadequate peristalsis, which is that automatic pushing you feel, those automatic contractions that happen during a bowel movement. Peristalsis moves food through the large intestine, so if you are deficient in calcium and magnesium, this function may slow or stop, causing constipation.
Source: Bottom Line's Daily Health News, March 5, 2007
See more on our separate page of information on Constipation Relief.

Magnesium for Kidney Stones
It has long been known (Harvard research, decades ago) that taking magnesium along with vitamin B6 significantly reduces the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones. Jonathan Wright, M.D., recommends 300 milligrams of magnesium citrate and 100 milligrams of vitamin B6, daily.
Source: Nutrition & Healing Health E-Tips February 1, 2007, from Jonathan Wright, M.D.

Magnesium For Preventing Gallstones
A study of 42,000 men found that magnesium may help prevent gallstones. The study subjects who got at least 453 milligrams of magnesium a day had a 30 percent lower risk of developing gallstones than those in the study who got only 262 mg of magnesium.
Source: Health & Healing newsletter, May 2008, by Julian Whitaker, M.D.

Magnesium as Treatment for Heart Attack
Intravenous magnesium, when given as soon as possible after a heart attack, decreases death rate, says Julian Whitaker, M.D. In a British study, 2000 heart attack victims had either IV magnesium sulfate or a saline solution within 24 hours of a heart attack. Patients who got the magnesium had 24 percent fewer deaths. One to five years later, the cardiovascular death rate was 21 percent lower in those who had the IV magnesium.
Source: Health & Healing newsletter, August 2009, by Julian Whitaker, M.D.

Magnesium for Migraine Headaches
Health benefits of magnesium include relieving migraines. To stop a migraine headache, take a relatively rapid intravenous injection of magnesium and vitamin B6. Find a doctor who offers this treatment by contacting ACAM at 800-532-3688 or at their Web site, acam.org. Supplementation with magnesium (200 milligrams daily) and Vitamin B6 (200 milligrams daily) also helps.
Source: Nutrition & Healing Health E-Tips, November 23, 2006

Magnesium for Asthma Treatment
Health benefits of magnesium include relaxing the airways, acting as a bronchodilator for asthma. Even if epinephrine and steroids don't work, intravenous magnesium can work. The majority of emergency room doctors know about the research supporting IV magnesium for asthma attacks, but a 2006 survey showed only 2.5 percent of patients seen for acute attacks were given IV magnesium.
Source: Health & Healing newsletter, August 2009, by Julian Whitaker, M.D.

Diabetes Research on Magnesium
Diabetes education on the health benefits of magnesium often neglect to include it in diabetes information. Here is what you should know about diabetes and magnesium: Swedish scientists reviewed studies on magnesium and risk of diabetes and found that for every 100 milligrams of increase in magnesium daily intake, there was a 15 percent decrease in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. If you already have diabetes, you probably know that high blood sugar increases urination, which can result in urinating way vital vitamins and minerals, including magnesium. Unfortunately, magnesium deficiency makes controlling blood sugar more difficult and also increases risk of diabetic complications. Studies show that individuals with magnesium deficiency are the most likely to have severe diabetic retinopathy.
Source: Health & Healing newsletter, August 2009, by Julian Whitaker, M.D.

Magnesium for Leg Cramps
A combination of magnesium, calcium, potassium and vitamin E can stop leg cramps. You can find a doctor who offers medical advice on this by contacting ACAM at 800-532-3688 or at their Web site, acam.org.
Source: Nutrition & Healing Health E-Tips, November 10, 2006
 
Magnesium for Strong Muscles
Health benefits of magnesium include strong muscles as well as strong bones. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that magnesium helps keep muscles strong. The study, done at the University of Palermo in Italy, investigated the connection between sarcopenia, which is loss of muscle mass, and magnesium deficiency. The researches measured serum levels of magnesium in the 1,138 volunteers and did tests on muscle strength and function. The result? A strong link between magnesium levels and muscle strength. The volunteers with higher levels of magnesium had stronger handgrips, more power in their lower legs, and were able to extend their knees and ankles with more force.
Sources: "Low magnesium may mean weaker muscles," Reuters Health news, 9/1/06 "Magnesium and muscle performance in older persons: the InCHIANTI study," Am J Clin Nutr 2006; 84(2): 419-426 as seen in Nutrition & Healing E-Tips, October 11, 2006

Magnesium for High Blood Pressure and Hypertension
Among the health benefits of magnesium may be the regulation of blood pressure. Most hypertension is caused by mineral deficiencies, according to Robert J. Rowen, M.D. He recommends potassium and magnesium aspartate, about 100 milligrams each, one to three times daily. (NOT for people with kidney disease, he says.) Rowen cites a study of 104 subjects with mild to moderate hypertension. Half the group received 30 mmol/day of postassium aspartate orally, while the control group received nothing. In the control group, there was no change. In the potassium aspartate group, there were significant reductions in blood pressure.
Rowen also says that magnesium may be important to regulating blood pressure. He refers to the DASH study (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), a human clinical trial. Results indicated that high blood pressure can be significantly reduced by increasing fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods in the diet. Eating more of these foods would increase magnesium, potassium and calcim in the diet, while lowering sodium and fat.
In another study of 30,000 U.S. male health professionals, results showed a lower risk of hypertension with an increase in foods that provide magnesium, potassium and dietary fiber.
Sources Franzoni F., G. Santoro, et al. "Antihypertensive Effect of Oral Potassium Aspartate Supplementation in Mild to Moderate Arterial Hypertension," Biomed Pharmacother, 2005;59:25-29, as seen in Health Dispatches and Late-Breaking Cures. by Robert Rowen, M.D.
One of the reasons that magnesium lowers blood pressure, says Julian Whitaker, M.D., is that it relaxes the smoothe muscles that dilate the arteries. A 2009 Korean study found that those in the study who took 300 milligrams of magnesium a day for three months had significant reduction in blood pressure readings compared to those who took a placebo. Systolic/diastolic pressures fell 17.1/6.7 mmHg for those who took magnesium and only 3.4/0.8 in the placebo group. Whitaker also says that a "meta-analysis" of 20 clinical trials showed that for each 240 milligrams of magnesium taken, subjects blood pressure dropeed by an average of 4.3/2.3 mmHg.
Source: Health and Healing newsletter, August 2009, by Julian Whitaker, M.D.

Magnesium For Urinary Urge Incontinence
Here's a surprising revelation among the health benefits of magnesium: Women with urinary urge incontinence (also called overactive bladder) may benefit from taking magnesium supplements. In a study reported in Family Practice News (February 1, 2003), 60 women with overactive bladder were divided into two groups, one receiving a placebo and the other group receiving 350 milligrams of magnesium hydroxide daily for one month. Twelve of the 30 in the magnesium group reported improvement in their overactive bladder in one month, along with significantly fewer incidents of urge incontinence, less frequency of urination, and fewer times of being waked at night to urinate. As relatively small amounts of supplemental magnesium effectively relieved urge incontinence in the new study, it is likely that suboptimal dietary magnesium intake is one of the causes of this disorder.

Also of interest:

Magnesium supplement helps boost brainpower
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Neuroscientists at MIT and Tsinghua University in Beijing show that increasing brain magnesium with a new compound enhanced learning abilities, working memory, and short- and long-term memory in rats. The dietary supplement also boosted older rats' ability to perform a variety of learning tests.

Magnesium, an essential element, is found in dark, leafy vegetables such as spinach and in some fruits. Those who get less than 400 milligrams daily are at risk for allergies, asthma and heart disease, among other conditions. In 2004, Guosong Liu and colleagues at MIT discovered that magnesium might have a positive influence on learning and memory. They followed up by developing a new magnesium compound — magnesium-L-threonate (MgT) —that is more effective than conventional oral supplements at boosting magnesium in the brain, and tested it on rats.

"We found that elevation of brain magnesium led to significant enhancement of spatial and associative memory in both young and aged rats," said Liu, now director of the Center for Learning and Memory at Tsinghua University. "If MgT is shown to be safe and effective in humans, these results may have a significant impact on public health." Liu is cofounder of Magceutics, a California-based company developing drugs for prevention and treatment of age-dependent memory decline and Alzheimer's disease.

"Half the population of the industrialized countries has a magnesium deficit, which increases with aging. If normal or even higher levels of magnesium can be maintained, we may be able to significantly slow age-related loss of cognitive function and perhaps prevent or treat diseases that affect cognitive function," Liu said.

HOW THEY DID IT: To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying this MgT-induced memory enhancement, the researchers studied the changes induced in functional and structural properties of synapses. They found that in young and aged rats, MgT increased plasticity among synapses, the connections among neurons, and boosted the density of synapses in the hippocampus, a critical brain region for learning and memory.

Susumu Tonegawa at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory helped carry out the initial behavioral experiments that showed that magnesium boosted memory in aged rats. Min Zhou's laboratory at the University of Toronto helped demonstrate the enhancement of synaptic plasticity in magnesium-treated rats.

NEXT STEPS: This study not only highlights the importance of a diet with sufficient daily magnesium, but also suggests the usefulness of magnesium-based treatments for aging-associated memory decline, Tonegawa said. Clinical studies in Beijing are now investigating the relationship between body magnesium status and cognitive functions in older humans and Alzheimer's patients.^[3]

The forms

Studies have shown that magnesium oxide is the least bioavailable form of magnesium,47,48 yet it has been successfully used in a human clinical trial.[49] In general, organic forms of magnesium such as magnesium citrate, magnesium succinate, magnesium aspartate, magnesium lactate and magnesium taurinate are well-absorbed forms.[47,48] Magnesium chloride is a well-absorbed inorganic form.

When taking magnesium supplements, it is important to realize that it may take six weeks to six months to replenish body magnesium stores through oral supplementation.[1] Thus, if you suffer from many of the listed magnesium deficiency symptoms and they don't immediately disappear, don't be discouraged and assume they aren't magnesium-related after all. Just be patient and watch for gradual changes.^[1]

Published data on the bioavailability of various Mg preparations is too fragmented and scanty to inform proper choice of Mg preparation for clinical studies. In this study, the relative bioavailability of three preparations of Mg (amino-acid chelate, citrate and oxide) were compared at a daily dose of 300 mg of elemental Mg in 46 healthy individuals. The study was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel intervention, of 60 days duration. Urine, blood and saliva samples were taken at baseline, 24 h after the first Mg supplement was taken ('acute' supplementation) and after 60 days of daily Mg consumption ('chronic' supplementation). Results showed that supplementation of the organic forms of Mg (citrate and amino-acid chelate) showed greater absorption (P = 0.033) at 60 days than MgO, as assessed by the 24-h urinary Mg excretion. Mg citrate led to the greatest mean serum Mg concentration compared with other treatments following both acute (P = 0.026) and chronic (P = 0.006) supplementation. Furthermore, although mean erythrocyte Mg concentration showed no differences among groups, chronic Mg citrate supplementation resulted in the greatest (P = 0.027) mean salivary Mg concentration compared with all other treatments. Mg oxide supplementation resulted in no differences compared to placebo. We conclude that a daily supplementation with Mg citrate shows superior bioavailability after 60 days of treatment when compared with other treatments studied.^[5]

Overdosing

Excess magnesium in the blood is freely filtered at the kidneys, and for this reason it is difficult to overdose on magnesium from dietary sources alone.[15] With supplements, overdose is possible, however, particularly in people with poor renal function; occasionally, with use of high cathartic doses of magnesium salts, severe hypermagnesemia has been reported to occur even without renal dysfunction.[23] Alcoholism can produce a magnesium deficiency which is easily reversed by oral or parenteral administration, depending on the degree of deficiency.^[4]

References
^[1]Magnesium: The key to health and life
^[2]Health Benefits of Magnesium
^[3]Magnesium supplement helps boost brainpower
^[4]Wikipedia: Magnesium - biological role
^[5]Mg citrate found more bioavailable than other Mg preparations in a randomised, double-blind study.