Magnesium spp.
The year was 1618. Henry Wickes, or Wicker, was doing what people in 1618 did: trying to make his cattle live another day. It was a hot summer and he was searching for water when he found a small watering hole on the Epsom Common. He dug the hole out to be large enough to give water to his cattle, “but the beasts would have none of it” (Rudolf, 1917). The locals began to wonder at this water and instead of thinking it poisonous, like I would have, they began bathing in it to relieve “various open sores and painful affections” (Rudolf, 1917). Gosh, I love old times. Imagine coming across water that animals won’t touch and thinking “hmm…better bathe in it! It must be medicinal!” Lucky them, because it was. The water was brimming with magnesium sulphate, now the main ingredient in our wonderful epsom salts that soothe our tired muscles and heal our wounds.
Unfortunately, we don’t have epsom salt pools popping up in the public park (that I know of). It’s estimated that well over 70% of Americans are deficient in magnesium (6). The recommended daily allowance of magnesium in around 315 mg for women and 420 mg for men, however the vast majority of Americans getting close this number, but it’s not entirely their fault (3). Magnesium content in food has been declining rapidly since the 70’s (a fascinating topic for another day), and worse yet about 80% of the remaining magnesium is lost after processing (1). But magnesium is critical for our vitality: it’s a crucial mineral for bone health, mitochondrial health, cognition, vasculature, and hundreds of small processes in our bodies that lead to massive effects. Now hold your horses — or cattle — this doesn’t mean it’s time drop what you’re doing and invest in an expensive magnesium supplement off of Amazon, since the supplements are varied not only in their chemical makeup but also in dosage, producing all manner of effects. Moreover, your diet or your digestion could also play a huge role in how much magnesium you’re even absorbing. Sounds like a lot to juggle, but not all hope is lost! Just because it’s difficult to get to the best answer, doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Let’s explore the various kinds of magnesium that benefit different systems in the body, and talk about how to increase the uptake of the magnesium we take if we need to. First, we need to discuss how magnesium is actually working, why it’s such an essential mineral. Let’s get into it.
How does magnesium work?
This is the hardest question to answer, not because we don’t know, but because there’s no way to summarize it quickly. Magnesium (Mg) is the fourth most abundant mineral in our body, and we carry about 60% of it in our bones and teeth and 40% of it in our cells. There’s less than 1% that exists extracellularly — outside of our cells — but we’ll get to that later. Inside our cells, Mg is working up a storm: it’s crucial for RNA and DNA synthesis, cell repair, and cell function, as well as helping clear out free radicals from inside our cells (3,7). Moreover, it’s either a cofactor (a necessary helper) or an activator for over 600 enzymes, and it influences our extracellular calcium levels (3). Some of those enzymatic process are critical in the utilization of ATP, our energy source produced by the mitochondria; it’s no wonder that over 30% of intracellular Mg is found inside the mitochondria. There, Mg is used to make ATP accessible to enzymes so they can use it to perform hundreds of complex reactions around the body. Consequently, without Mg, ATP utilization and production decreases, oxidative stress can build up inside the body, and all those hundreds of enzymatic processes start to slow to a crawl. Speaking of slowing down, Mg is a major mineral involved with depression. While some antidepressant drugs can actually increase the rate of suicide, Mg has demonstrated great success in cases of major depressive disorder, insomnia, anxiety, and other related neurological conditions.
Mg has been correlated with a lower risk of Type II Diabetes or incidents of insulin resistance (4). Of the hundreds of enzymatic processes that Mg is critical for, some of them deal with transporting insulin, as well as insulin secretion, binding, and other activities (8). But we don’t just have to look at what Mg is actively doing, because we see the reverse when Mg is removed: if Mg is taken away, or chronically low, instances of hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance grow. The research on this topic is ongoing, but it’s safe to say that Mg plays a significant role in balancing the insulin response in our bodies.
I’d like to take a second to highlight the downstream effects of Mg. It’s not that Mg is the hammer to all of the body’s nails, rather, sometimes Mg is the blood vessel to the finger on the hand that holds the hammer that hits the nails. For instance, Mg-dependent kinases are responsible for the activation of up to 30% of the functional body proteins, including several that directly influence immune function against antiviral agents (3,9). To give another example of some of the downstream effects of Mg: it’s required to activate vitamin D, which is crucial for bone mineralization, organ regeneration, and is postulated to influence glucose homeostasis (3).
This is barely scratching the surface of all that Mg is involved in. Overall, if I was to summarize Mg’s effects on the body, I would say it boils down to creation and cleanliness. Mg helps create useable energy, and it cleans up our cells, and thus our bodies, from any oxidative stress in that process. I’m not able to fully elaborate on every issue that can arise from a chronic Mg deficiency, but you can imagine what a deficiency in a major mineral that regulates energy creation and cellular cleanliness would lead to: various disorders such as migraines, depression, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal abnormalities, metabolic syndrome, and more (4, 5, 6, 3).
How do I know if I’m getting enough magnesium?
Do you feel terrible all the time? Just kidding, but really, if you’re experiencing a constant background fatigue, mild depression or anxiety, muscle fatigue, symptoms of insulin resistance, or other issues related to Mg deficiency, you can try incorporating more Mg into your diet for a few weeks and see how you feel. Additionally, you could look at getting your magnesium levels tested to see where you’re at, however, be careful to go about reading your levels of Mg properly. As we talked about, 60% of our magnesium is in our bones and teeth, and the rest of it is inside our cells. Only a small amount — about 0.3% by some measures (2) — is found in a serum test, and unfortunately even though testing serum levels of Mg is the most common method for testing magnesium levels, it’s not always an accurate measurement of Mg levels. See, the body will leech Mg from within cells, bones, or teeth — it’s main storage sites — in order to ensure that the small 1% needed to be in the extracellular space is normal. You cells need to be able to communicate with one another and cellular polarity needs to be balanced, so if cels have to sacrifice their own internal processes to be able to communicate and maintain a charge balance (among other things), then they will. This means that though your Mg levels might look great on paper, you could be suffering from a chronic deficiency of Mg inside your cells or it’s other storage sites where it’s needed. Good news is, other Mg tests are out there that are a bit more accurate. Measuring Mg levels in only the red blood cells is a better indicator of Mg levels than measuring the blood serum all at once. Again with the body leeching Mg: though the RBCs may be surrounded by Mg extracellularly, they’ll have little inside of them, so testing like this will produce more accurate results. Additionally, testing a hair sample is a great way to get a reading of minerals over time, as well as assess heavy metal toxicity (2). Some places offer a “Non-invasive Intracellular Mineral-Electrolyte Analysis (EXA) test”, though this isn’t super common. Even more tests exist that help people look more into their intracellular mineral composition, so there’re plenty of ways to check if we’re lacking in this important mineral.
Diagnosing a Mg deficiency is a bit hard outside of these tests. There’re the typical symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and a general lack of vitality or functioning across body systems, but those are also the symptoms of dehydration, poor sleep, depression, not getting enough of other vitamins and minerals, or even chronic illness. However, as I mentioned earlier, the vast majority of Americans are deficient in Mg, so trying to incorporate more Mg-rich foods or starting on a high quality Mg supplement that best suits you — see below — could be beneficial, but it’s not like there’re a specific set of symptoms that come with a Mg deficiency, since Mg has such wide-ranging, downstream effects. Picture it like this: imagine you forget to shower one night; no big deal. But then you forget to shower the next night, and the next, until it’s been weeks and you haven’t showered once! Your hair is greasy, you smell bad, there’s dirt everywhere, you’re starting to get sick, your friends treat you differently, and then one day you cut yourself and your wound gets infected because you don’t wash it out, so you get even more sick, until you’re in the hospital wondering “how did I get here?!” Um, maybe it’s because you never took the time to clean yourself. The metaphor doesn’t carry all the way, but the idea is clear: neglecting a necessity for health can have serious downstream consequences. Just like how skipping one shower own’t kill you, not getting enough Mg in one day won’t do you harm, but being chronically dirty or chronically low in this key mineral could lead to serious downstream consequences. So maybe for you, it’s time to clean up, in which case there’s plenty of food science out there to help you craft a diet full of Mg!
What foods should I be having?
Now we’re really getting into the meat of it. Sort of. Mg is mostly found in all of our wonderful veggies, greens, nuts, and seeds, as well as some scrumptious sweets and fatty fish. Before I dive in, I’d like to make a quick note that while everyone generally agrees on the foods that have Mg, there’s lot of subtle differences in how much Mg each researcher assigns to that food. I’ve cited my sources below, but feel free to check out other sources and come to an average on your own.
My personal favorite Mg foods are dark chocolate at 65 mg per 28g, avocados at 58 mg for a medium avocado, and salmon at 30 mg per 100g (16). The salmon is a bit low compared to the others, but it’s also packed with the all-important omegas and protein. The real heavy hitters are our nuts and seeds. Pumpkin seeds are coming in at 156 mg per ounce, chia seeds are 111 mg per ounce, almonds are 80 mg per ounce, peanuts are 63 g per quarter cup, and cashews are 74 mg per ounce (16). Boiled spinach is also a heavy hitter at 78 mg per 1/2 cup, which is a great way to get some greens in as well, but be careful about the oxalate content to spinach, since the oxalates in spinach could sap you of other key vitamins and minerals, however boiling it should help break down the oxalate content. Another great way you can incorporate several vitamins and minerals, including Mg, into your diet is by adding some trace mineral drops to your water. It won’t replace a balanced diet, but it will definitely incorporate more micro-goodies into your diet if you’re not getting enough already.
The only kicker here is that Mg absorption rates are pretty low, and though some Mg can be reclaimed in the kidneys, most is not absorbed in the intestines (10). If we’re shooting for anywhere from 320-420 mg per day, we don’t want to eat a few dark chocolate peanuts and call it a day. You want to shoot for more Mg so you can absorb more in the long run. Imagine your body is in one of those cash grab games, except the cash is magnesium. We don’t want to send down a couple dollars, we want to rain down lots of cash so that the body will have more opportunities to catch it. However, if we rain down a palate of cash, we’ll crush our body in this hypothetical cash machine, so be sure to keep it in balance and not go overboard. Trying to incorporate more magnesium into your diet through organic fruits, vegetables, meats, and other whole foods is a wonderful place to start if you want to start getting more magnesium in. There’re also lots of supplements out there that promote health and wellness, however, some are more bioavailable than others and each type supplement has slightly different effects
What supplements are out there?
There’re tons of Mg supplements out there, some you take orally, others you can spray on your feet, rub on as a lotion, and others make up those beautiful epsom salt baths we love. There’re supplements that focus on one of these forms of Mg, while others will include several forms in one capsule/gummy/powder/whatever you take. If you decide to supplement with Mg, then there’re plenty of great options out there. Be sure to choose with with good research behind it and plenty of good reviews. Without further ado, let’s get into some of these supplements:
Magnesium Taurate: Mg and the amino acid taurine. This pair plays a role in promoting healthy blood sugar levels and healthy blood pressure levels. Animal studies have shown that this pair can help bolster heart health, though human studies are needed to know how strong this effect would be on us (12). (15)
Magnesium L-Threonate: Mg and threonic acid. This form is easily absorbed and is the most effective for increasing magnesium levels in brain cells. This has wonderful benefits on neuronal health and can decrease risk of Alzheimers, boost cognition, decrease oxidation in brain cells, and overall improve sleep, mood, energy, alertness, and daily functioning. (13, 15, 18)
Magnesium Citrate: Mg bound to citric acid. This is one of the most bioavailable forms of Mg. It’s mostly used to help raise low Mg levels in the body. It can have a bit of a natural laxative effect, so it’s often used to treat constipation. It can also have some mild calming effects. (15)
Magnesium Malate: Mg bound to manic acid. This occurs naturally in foods like fruits and wine. It’s well absorbed in the digestive tract and is a bit gentler, having less laxative effects. One study showed by dimagnesium malate, with other key vitamins, increased intracellular Mg levels in red blood cells (17). It’s been used to treat fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms. (15)
Magnesium Oxide: Mg bound to oxygen. It’s poorly absorbed, but can be used to treat digestive issues such as heartburn, indigestion, or constipation. Some studies also claim it’s good for migraines. (15)
Magnesium Sulfate: Mg, sulfur, and oxygen. This form makes up out epsom salt baths. Food grade forms can be safely ingested. In a bath, it’s absorbed through the skin and used to detox and relax your body. (15)
Magnesium Chloride: Mg bound to chlorine, also known as “magnesium salt”. Chlorine binds really well to other elements, like sodium or more magnesium, to form salts. This form of Mg can be absorbed through your skin to help sooth tired muscles, but it’s also very bioavailable in the digestive system and is great for bolstering Mg levels in the body. It can be applied through lotions or ointments to relax sore muscles. (15)
There’re many more Mg supplements out there, and some are even broad-spectrum supplements that cover more than one of these categories. Whatever you choose to take, try supplementing through your diet, and talk to your doctor about a getting your Mg levels tested.
All in all…
Magnesium is a massively important mineral for our entire body: from our bones to our brains, and everything in-between, magnesium is crucial for maintaining our health. We need to make sure we’re not becoming deficient in this key mineral. Whether we try to incorporate more Mg into our diet with organic, Mg-rich foods and trace mineral drops, or supplementing with a multi-spectrum Mg or single Mg supplement, it’s so important to make sure we’re getting enough of this mineral in order to balance our cognition, vasculature, sleep, ATP utilization, bones, digestive system, immune function, insulin response, and much more. If you’re worried about your Mg levels, talk to your doctor or naturopath about getting your blood tested. Or order your own blood test and get AI to read it for you. The future is now. Whatever you do, I wish you all joy and good fortune on your journey to improving your health and wellness!
References
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(2) Razzaque M. S. (2018). Magnesium: Are We Consuming Enough?. Nutrients, 10(12), 1863. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10121863
(3) Uwitonze, A. M., & Razzaque, M. S. (2018). Role of Magnesium in Vitamin D Activation and Function. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 118(3), 181–189. https://doi.org/10.7556/jaoa.2018.037
(4) Larsson S.C., Wolk A. Magnesium intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis. J. Intern. Med. 2007;262:208–214. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2007.01840.x.
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(9) Kanellopoulou, C., George, A. B., Masutani, E., Cannons, J. L., Ravell, J. C., Yamamoto, T. N., Smelkinson, M. G., Jiang, P. D., Matsuda-Lennikov, M., Reilley, J., Handon, R., Lee, P. H., Miller, J. R., Restifo, N. P., Zheng, L., Schwartzberg, P. L., Young, M., & Lenardo, M. J. (2019). Mg2+ regulation of kinase signaling and immune function. The Journal of experimental medicine, 216(8), 1828–1842. https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20181970
(10) Fine, K. D., Santa Ana, C. A., Porter, J. L., & Fordtran, J. S. (1991). Intestinal absorption of magnesium from food and supplements. The Journal of clinical investigation, 88(2), 396–402. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI115317
(11) Brink, E. J., Beynen, A. C., Dekker, P. R., van Beresteijn, E. C., & van der Meer, R. (1992). Interaction of calcium and phosphate decreases ileal magnesium solubility and apparent magnesium absorption in rats. The Journal of nutrition, 122(3), 580–586. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/122.3.580
(12) Shrivastava, P., Choudhary, R., Nirmalkar, U., Singh, A., Shree, J., Vishwakarma, P. K., & Bodakhe, S. H. (2018). Magnesium taurate attenuates progression of hypertension and cardiotoxicity against cadmium chloride-induced hypertensive albino rats. Journal of traditional and complementary medicine, 9(2), 119–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcme.2017.06.010
(13) Shen, Y., Dai, L., Tian, H., Xu, R., Li, F., Li, Z., Zhou, J., Wang, L., Dong, J., & Sun, L. (2019). Treatment Of Magnesium-L-Threonate Elevates The Magnesium Level In The Cerebrospinal Fluid And Attenuates Motor Deficits And Dopamine Neuron Loss In A Mouse Model Of Parkinson's disease. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 15, 3143–3153. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S230688
(14) Rudolf R. D. (1917). The use of Epsom salts, historically considered. Canadian Medical Association journal, 7(12), 1069–1071.
(15) Hill, A. (2023, May 11). Types of magnesium and their benefits. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/magnesium-types
(16) Spritzler, F. (2024, January 24). 10 magnesium-rich foods that are super healthy. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-foods-high-in-magnesium
(17) Weiss, D., Brunk, D. K., & Goodman, D. A. (2018). Scottsdale Magnesium Study: Absorption, Cellular Uptake, and Clinical Effectiveness of a Timed-Release Magnesium Supplement in a Standard Adult Clinical Population. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 37(4), 316–327. https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2017.1398686
(18) Hausenblas, H. A., Lynch, T., Hooper, S., Shrestha, A., Rosendale, D., & Gu, J. (2024). Magnesium-L-threonate improves sleep quality and daytime functioning in adults with self-reported sleep problems: A randomized controlled trial. Sleep medicine: X, 8, 100121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleepx.2024.100121
