Magnesium, considered a trace mineral in relation to one’s daily diet, fosters a multitude of important functions within the body. It supports the cardiovascular system, muscles, and helps maintain strong bones. The body likewise utilizes magnesium for energy production and to control blood sugar levels. Many different forms of magnesium supplements appear on the shelves of specialty stores today, making it challenging to choose the best option. In this article, we outline the various types of magnesium available, the specific conditions each helps address, and how to achieve sufficient magnesium levels naturally through food choices.
The Natural Path to Healthy Magnesium Levels
Magnesium serves as an essential component in over 300 metabolic reactions, including energy production, blood pressure regulation, nerve signal transmission, and muscle contraction. Although many common whole foods contain magnesium, as many as 66% of the population in the Western world fail to meet their magnesium needs through diet alone.
Before we delve into the different types of magnesium supplementation, we can address the simplest and most homeopathic manner of shoring up the body’s healthy levels. As magnesium ranks 8th in the list of most abundant minerals in the Earth’s crust, we can easily find magnesium in a wide variety of whole, minimally processed foods, including the following ~
- Dark leafy greens (spinach and Swiss chard)
- Almonds and cashews
- Pumpkin seeds, flax, and chia
- Nut butters
- Whole grains (rice, farro, oatmeal, and quinoa)
- Beans and lentils
- Avocados, bananas, and papayas
- Dried fruits (apricots, dates, figs, and prunes)
- Dark chocolate
Experts feel that the average adult body requires anywhere from 310-420 milligrams of magnesium daily, depending on age and gender.
Understanding the Various Forms of Magnesium
Some individuals find it challenging to meet their daily nutritional requirements of magnesium due to any number of factors. Certain kidney conditions, osteoporosis and stress can often leave an individual at a magnesium deficit. However, given all of the choices available in today’s market, a basic understanding of how each one functions within the body can help clarify an optimal choice. We will cover the most frequently used forms of magnesium below, identifying which works well for which health situation.
Magnesium Citrate
This magnesium salt consists of magnesium and citrate. The citrate comes from citric acid, found in abundance in many citrus fruits, and serves as a key compound in energy metabolism. Its ease of digestibility helps draw water into the digestive tract, thereby relaxing the bowel and helping to increase the number of bowel movements and make them easier to pass. Many individuals rely on this form of the supplement to relieve occasional constipation.
Magnesium citrate also plays a key role in bone health. Low levels of circulating magnesium may contribute to bone loss/osteoporosis. Studies have shown that magnesium citrate can help attenuate this situation, reducing the incidence/risk of fractures. It can also help relax muscle contractions to soothe the leg cramping, which very often accompanies low levels of the mineral.
Magnesium citrate may help prevent the formation of kidney stones. When consumed before engaging in exercise, this salt boasts the ability to minimize exercise-induced muscle damage as well as reduce soreness following a workout (DOMS).
Magnesium Glycinate
Magnesium glycinate, a salt comprised of the amino acid glycine and magnesium, has similar properties to magnesium but functions a bit differently. Glycine serves as a vital neurotransmitter that influences numerous processes in the body; as such, individuals often turn to this form as a means of treating anxiety/depression/stress. In addition, its ability to boost melatonin and cortisol levels makes it an ideal choice to foster better sleep.
Like its aforementioned counterpart, magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate ranks high in popularity among avid athletes since it aids in relieving muscle soreness following exercise. Studies show that a dose of 350 milligrams can reduce soreness and improve feelings of recovery after physical activity. To reach these positive effects, individuals engaged in intense exercise may have a need for 10–20% more magnesium than sedentary people; coaches suggest that athletes strive to maintain this slightly elevated level even during their off-seasons.
Like many of today’s supplements, one may encounter certain side effects with overuse. Medical professionals generally consider magnesium glycinate safe for the average healthy adult, but taking too much may lead to stomach pain/discomfort, nausea, or diarrhea. More severe cases of excessive intake may involve dizziness and fatigue.
Magnesium Oxide
This combination of magnesium and oxygen appears as a powdery white substance, typically dispensed as a capsule or in powder form. While poorly absorbed by the digestive tract, magnesium oxide does not tend to get prescribed for cases of magnesium deficiency. Rather, most individuals use it to treat heartburn, indigestion, and/or constipation.
While some believe this salt may treat and even prevent migraine headaches, research in this area remains scant.
Magnesium Chloride
This unique variety makes use of chlorine. An unstable element on its own, chlorine binds well with sodium and magnesium to form salts. This particular salt digests easily and often gets prescribed to treat low magnesium levels.
While typically ingested in capsule or tablet form, magnesium also appears as an ingredient in various lotions and ointments designed to soothe and relieve sore muscles. Once again, definitive research linking magnesium levels to muscle tissue relaxation remains in need of more in-depth study.
Magnesium Lactate
This product, a salt formed when magnesium binds with lactic acid, appears naturally within the body as it is produced by muscle and blood cells. Food companies manufacture magnesium lactate as a preservative, acidity regulator, and flavor-enhancing agent.
Magnesium lactate boasts a high digestive tract absorption rate and tends to have a gentler effect on the stomach than some of the aforementioned varieties. In a study comprised of 28 individuals with a rare condition that required high doses of daily magnesium, those who took a slow-release tablet of magnesium lactate reported fewer digestive side effects than the control group.
Magnesium Malate
This form of magnesium pairs with malic acid, a naturally occurring substance found in wine and some fruits. Its sour taste often gets added to food to enhance flavor or acidity. Another of the easily digestible magnesium salts, magnesium malate, not only can replenish low circulating magnesium levels but also tends to have less of a laxative effect when regularly used.
Medical professionals will occasionally recommend magnesium malate to help treat symptoms of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome; however, only a few sample studies indicate benefits.
Magnesium L-Threonate
This salt variation hails from mixing magnesium and threonic acid, a water-soluble substance resulting from the metabolic breakdown of vitamin C. Easily absorbed, research indicates its potential use for increasing the concentration of magnesium in brain cells. As such, medical professionals promote its use for managing such brain disorders as Alzheimer’s disease, age-related memory loss, and even depression. Additional research, particularly on human subjects, will pave the way for more extensive applications.
Magnesium Taurate and Magnesium Orotate
Combining magnesium with the amino acid taurine yields a substance that may aid in both regulating blood sugar levels and supporting healthy blood pressure.
Magnesium orotate contains orotic acid, a natural substance involved in the body’s DNA construction processes. While needing more verification, early research studies indicate that magnesium orotate may prove beneficial for heart health; orotic acid plays a key role in the energy production pathways within the heart and blood vessel tissues.
One research study conducted in 2009 analyzed 79 subjects living with severe congestive heart failure. Scientists found that magnesium orotate supplements showed higher efficacy for symptom management and survival than a placebo. However, limited scientific evidence coupled with the higher cost of this magnesium supplement renders it seldom utilized.
Magnesium Sulfate
Best known commercially as Epsom salts, this combination of magnesium, sulfur, and oxygen has a texture similar to ordinary table salt. When dissolved in warm bath water, magnesium sulfate anecdotally soothes aching muscles and relieves stress.
While one can consume it as a treatment for constipation, either in capsule form or dissolved in water, magnesium sulfate has a most unpleasant taste. Using too much of the substance, or using it too frequently, can have deleterious effects.
Magnesium, Cortisol, and Stress
A tremendous amount of research on cortisol has rendered it among the “stress hormones” in the human body. While serving an important role in cases of acute stress, excess cortisol can magnify anxiety and worsen depression in many individuals.
Neurotransmitters serve as the on and off switches of the brain, responding either to stress/anxiety levels or a sense of calm. Glutamate, the neurochemical that comprises the “on” switch, works in balance with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the neurochemical part of the anxiety pathway or “off’ switch. When too many switches get turned on, the body enters a hyper-excited state, rendering the individual very anxious and potentially depressed, particularly within the emotional control centers of the brain.
A multitude of studies have demonstrated the potential of magnesium in leveling out cortisol within the body. Magnesium can tackle excessive anxiety by diminishing or blocking the neuroendocrine pathways that send cortisol to the brain. Magnesium keeps neurotransmitters from over-firing by blunting the release of glutamate and fostering the release of GABA.
A 2019 study published in the journal Nutrients found that individuals with low blood levels of magnesium were more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression. “Magnesium itself increases GABA, a brain chemical that helps you feel calm,” explains Suruchi Chandra, MD, an integrative psychiatrist in Bethesda, Maryland. “It works in a very similar way to anti-anxiety medications such as alprazolam (Xanax).”
Any recent social sciences or psychology studies will indicate that a high percentage of Americans move through daily life chronically stressed; this stress lowers magnesium levels. Dr Chandra refers to this as creating a snowball effect: “The lower your magnesium levels are, the more stressed, anxious, and depressed you feel, which in turn depletes your body of magnesium even more,” she explains.
Final Thoughts
We now understand that a multitude of options exist when it comes to quality magnesium supplements. If obtaining adequate quantities through prudent food choices still leaves one with diminished magnesium levels, one must choose wisely, as each variety works differently and targets different medical ailments. Always consult with a physician prior to embarking upon any supplement regimen, so as not to consume excessive or dangerous amounts. In proper dosages, each of the magnesium supplements we described here can have positive effects on one’s daily life.
References
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7821302/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507250/
https://www.webmd.com/depression/magnesium-for-depression
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/magnesium-for-anxiety
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/magnesium-types
https://www.health.com/magnesium-citrate-vs-magnesium-glycinate-8783552
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/#h2
https://www.verywellhealth.com/magnesium-glycinate-vs-citrate-8775171
https://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12967-024-05434-x
