Magnesium
There’s a good reason why magnesium has been getting a lot of attention lately.
The fourth most common mineral in your body, magnesium serves as a catalyst for more than 600 chemical events. It has an impact on digestion, stress reduction and energy production in addition to your heart rhythm. Leg cramps, lack of sleep, tiredness, anxiety, diabetes, headaches, and heart problems are just a few of the numerous negative effects that can happen if your diet is deficient in magnesium. Magnesium deficiency also affects hormonal imbalances and PMS symptoms. Low serum magnesium levels have been linked to even greater mortality rates. Since the body cannot create or store magnesium, supplementation is essential. But at this point, things start to go hazy.
Most people discover there are numerous varieties of magnesium when they first start looking for a high-quality magnesium supplement. If you’re uncertain about the advantages of each kind and which one is best for you, keep reading. You’re in the right location!
What Makes a Magnesium Supplement Important?
Leafy greens, almonds, avocados, and chocolate are high in magnesium. However, the nutrient richness of food has significantly decreased due to soil deterioration. Even if you consume a lot of spinach and pumpkin seeds, your magnesium levels are probably low. For me, this was true. Despite regularly consuming leafy greens, my magnesium level was usually low on routine blood tests.
Your body’s need for magnesium also has an impact on your levels of it. Stores of magnesium are depleted by stress, coffee consumption, and pregnancy. This means that, as you would have anticipated, women are far more likely to have a magnesium deficit.
Finally, studies have shown that just 30 to 40 per cent of the dietary magnesium you consume is absorbed by your body. You are only absorbing around half of your daily magnesium dose, even if you keep track of it.
How to Choose a Good Magnesium Supplement
When it comes to the many forms of magnesium supplements, quality matters. It’s critical to pick a magnesium supplement that gives your body enough magnesium in a form that is simple for it to absorb. Certain types of magnesium including magnesium oxide and magnesium sulphate are less bioavailable which means they are poorly absorbed by the body. The best way to ensure you are supplementing with bioavailable magnesium is to take a chelated magnesium supplement. Magnesium is a highly reactive mineral. When elemental magnesium is chelated, it is bound to a carrier by two or more points of attachment. This makes it more stable and better absorbed by the body, however not all magnesium is chelated.
Which Magnesium Type Is Best for You?
When determining which form of magnesium is ideal for you, you should consider two crucial factors:
1. Is it easily absorbed by your body and bioavailable?
2. Is it the kind of magnesium your body requires and is suitable for you?
I’ve listed the eight varieties of magnesium below, along with some advantages of each. Try magnesium combo supplements such as Magnesium Breakthrough if you believe you could profit from a combination of all of them. To test how your body reacts, you might also try taking 100 mg of one type and 100-200 mg of another type.
What Magnesium Do You Need to Take?
The RDA? for individuals over 31 is 420 mg for males and 310 mg for females (or 350 mg for pregnant females) according to the National Institute of Health. This suggested daily intake should only be used as a guide. For optimal health, some people require higher or lower dosages of magnesium.
In general, you shouldn’t get your magnesium via a multivitamin. The type will probably be used at an amount that is too low and less bioavailable.
Always pick a magnesium supplement that is free of additives like sugar, dyes, artificial colours, preservatives, and allergies. Make sure you’re purchasing your supplements from a reputable store and that the firm you choose can prove where they get their components from and how they’re processed.
8 Types of Magnesium and Their Health Benefits
Magnesium comes in eight common varieties. Each has distinct advantages, rates of absorption, and drawbacks. As a result, you may experience the effect that varies depending on the supplement you choose to take.
1. To aid in digestion: Citrate of magnesium
One of the forms of magnesium that has been studied the most is magnesium citrate. It is often advised for digestive help and stress alleviation. Because it is bonded to citric acid, it is very absorbable. This one does have a laxative effect when taken in excessive dosages, so use caution. Start with a lower dosage and increase or decrease as necessary. Taper it back down if you find it to be too much.
2. Magnesium glycinate is a supplement for mood and sleep.
The amino acid glycine is bonded to magnesium glycinate (also known as magnesium biglycinate). It is frequently used to relieve tension and aid with sleep. It has been proven that taking magnesium glycinate daily can help people recover quickly from mood disorders like depression.
3. Magnesium L-threonate for brain health
One of the only forms of magnesium that may cross the blood-brain barrier is magnesium L- threonate, which has a high bioavailability. According to a preliminary study, taking magnesium L-threonate supplements on a regular basis can enhance memory, cognitive function, and dementia prevention.
4. Magnesium malate, for fibromyalgia and muscle discomfort
By mixing magnesium and malic acid, magnesium malate is created. According to studies, using magnesium malate supplements helps reduce fibromyalgia-related pain and soreness in the muscles.
5. Magnesium taurate: beneficial for the heart
The amino acid taurine, which is renowned for its capacity to decrease blood pressure and safeguard cardiac muscle cells, is bonded to magnesium taurate. Preliminary research indicates magnesium taurate may have significant promise as a vascular-protective nutritional supplement because it is also known to have heart-protective effects.
6. Magnesium chloride, for muscle relaxation and stress reduction
Topical use is a fantastic choice because magnesium may be absorbed transdermally (through the skin). For joint pain, muscular rehabilitation, and stress reduction, consider using magnesium chloride bath flakes.
7. Magnesium sulphate is a good option for painful muscles.
Ever taken a bath in Epsom salts? That is magnesium sulphate. This is an additional kind of magnesium that is excellent for reducing tension, muscle tightness, and joint discomfort.
8. Magnesium oxide, for diarrhoea
Comparing magnesium oxide to other forms of magnesium, magnesium oxide has substantially lower levels of bioavailability. In general, it’s a horrible choice if you want to increase your body’s magnesium levels. What is it useful for, then? constipation treatment.
The moral of the story is to try a new form of magnesium if one doesn’t seem to be working for you. Give more importance to types of magnesium that are more bioavailable and think about having your levels checked after taking regular supplements to determine whether they are adequate.
