Magnesium: why is it important and which type is best for your health?

Magnesium is among the supplements me and my partner have been taken for the longest time, apart from vitamin D and a multi. While changes from taking a multivitamin are too subtle to notice, and vitamin D only has a direct impact on mood in winter, the effect of taking magnesium has been unexpectedly direct especially upon switching from daytime use to use prior to bedtime. At first I was taking it at night to prevent muscle cramps, but soon I noticed an impact on sleep quality and can even notice the difference when I forget to take it one or several nights in a row.

However, while I've barely taken any other form than Magnesium Optimizer (magnesium malate), MagMind with magnesium threonatehas become incredibly popular over the last few years, so much so that I've wanted to find out more about the various forms of magnesium and its uses.

Magnesium and health 

Do you often feel tired and rundown? Or often find yourself struggling to relax before sleep? It could be a sign that you are deficient in magnesium.

It should be possible to obtain most of the vitamins and minerals you need through your diet. But modern agricultural practices have decreased magnesium levels in foods, meaning that many people are deficient in this essential mineral.

Magnesium deficiency has been linked to everything from increased blood pressure and high blood sugar to increased mental stress. Among its many benefits, magnesium is also critical for the optimal conversion and use of vitamin D throughout the body, affecting heart health, metabolism and bone mineral density.

If you aren’t supplementing with magnesium, you could be missing a trick when it comes to maximising your physical health and mental well-being.

What is magnesium?

Magnesium is an essential dietary mineral that works as a ‘helper molecule’ for over 300 enzymes. This means that they act to speed up and enable various chemical reactions in the human body.

Magnesium also interacts with other micronutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, to support processes like maintaining healthy bones, enabling muscle contraction and regulating blood pressure.

In addition, magnesium plays a crucial role in producing energy, helping the body to break down, store and use carbohydrates. Magnesium is also essential for cell function, repair and regeneration.

What is magnesium deficiency?

Magnesium deficiency is when the body does not get all the magnesium it needs for health.
If you don’t consume the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 420mg per day for men and 320mg for women, you may be magnesium deficient.

Magnesium deficiency can lead to numerous health problems. Common symptoms of magnesium deficiency are 

• high blood pressure  (hypertension)
• heart disease (tachycardia, arrhytmia)
• diabetes
• osteoporosis
• chronic fatigue
• migraine headaches
• electrolyte distrubance (hypocalcemia, hypokalemia)
• neuromuscular and central nervous system (muscle cramps, muscle weakness, depression, vertigo)

What causes magnesium deficiency?

True magnesium deficiency in healthy people is rare. However, subclinical deficiency – when magnesium levels are low but without obvious symptoms – can be caused by:

• a poor diet
• type 2 diabetes
• digestive problems like irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn’s disease
• vomiting or diarrhoea
• kidney problems
• long-term use of diuretics
• some medicines (for example, fluid tablets and medicines for ulcers or reflux) can cause low magnesium levels if taken for extended periods
• alcoholism

What does magnesium do in the body?

You may read about the unique benefits of one particular vitamin or mineral.
But many people don’t realise that the nutrients we obtain from food do not act in isolation. Instead, they work in coordination to ensure that multiple processes occur optimally.

Magnesium is no different. Its benefits come not just from the processes that it directly supports but its vital interactions with numerous important physiological processes, including:

1. Maintaining healthy bones and teeth

Did you know that almost 60% of the total magnesium in your body is stored in your bones and teeth?
And while you’re likely familiar with the importance of vitamin D for bone health, you may not have considered the role of magnesium.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin we obtain through skin exposure to sunlight. Low levels of vitamin D can increase your risk of numerous diseases, affecting the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and nervous systems. This can result in symptoms like fatigue, bone pain, muscle weakness, aches or cramps and mood changes, such as depression.

Magnesium plays a critical role in the various stages through which the body converts vitamin D from its storage into its active form. This is because magnesium supports the proteins that convert vitamin D into a usable form.

As a result, if you take a daily vitamin D supplement but do not consume sufficient magnesium through your diet or supplementation, you likely will not experience the optimal health benefits.

Likewise, the relationship between magnesium and vitamin D is a two-way street. Higher amounts of vitamin D’s active form also appear to increase how much magnesium we absorb from food.

2. Improved heart health

Magnesium plays a critical role in maintaining a healthy heart by stabilising the rhythm of the heart as well as preventing blood clotting.
But that’s not where magnesium’s benefits for cardiovascular health end.

Magnesium is critical in maintaining healthy blood pressure. It does so by regulating calcium concentrations, which helps to control the width of blood vessels. Magnesium also stimulates nitric oxide, a compound made by the body that causes blood vessels to widen, helping to reduce blood pressure.

Research shows magnesium supplementation to be highly effective at reducing your risk of heart attacks and strokes. If you have a history of cardiovascular disease in your family, ensuring you get enough magnesium in your diet should be a top priority.

Magnesium supplementation has also been found to significantly decrease total cholesterol and improve blood lipid profiles in people with high cholesterol.

3. Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes

Low levels of magnesium are associated with insulin resistance. Insulin is the hormone that acts to shuttle carbohydrates (glucose) to muscles and other cells around the body, where it is converted for use as energy.

Insulin resistance occurs because of an inactive lifestyle. It refers to the body’s inability to effectively break down, store and utilise carbohydrates as fuel. This increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other chronic health conditions, such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Magnesium helps regulate electrical activity and insulin production in the pancreas. As a result, magnesium deficiency can impair the body’s ability to manage insulin effectively, which can lead to the development of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

However, numerous studies have shown supplementation of magnesium to be highly effective at improving insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes and overweight non-diabetic people.

4. Improved cognitive function and mood

An increasing body of research shows that magnesium levels have a considerable influence on human cognitive performance and brain health.

Magnesium plays a key role in cognition partly by helping to convert vitamin B6, which is important for healthy brain development, keeping the nervous and immune systems healthy, and regulating mental function and mood.

Magnesium also works with calcium to regulate the nervous system. Low magnesium or calcium deficiency can lead to an increase in nervous system excitability. This may lead to cramps, cardiac abnormalities or even psychological disorders.

5. Increased muscular strength and muscle mass

Magnesium’s influence on calcium can help you maximise your physical performance in the gym.

It helps support multiple processes that govern muscle function, such as oxygen uptake, energy production, and the balance of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium and calcium. Any interruption to this chain of events can result in you saying goodbye to those gains.

There is also evidence that even relatively minor magnesium deficiency impairs exercise performance and increases the negative outcomes of strenuous exercise, such as oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can damage cells, protein and DNA, accelerating the ageing process.

6. Reduced inflammation and improved immunity

Magnesium plays a crucial role in keeping inflammation at healthy levels in the body. Chronic, low-level inflammation has a hand in everything from accelerated ageing to an increased risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, certain cancers and diabetes.

Animal models have shown that low dietary intakes of magnesium increase inflammatory responses in the body and lead to excess production of free radicals and oxidative stress.

Magnesium supplementation has been shown to decrease levels of C-reactive protein, a marker that increases when there is inflammation in the body.

We also need magnesium to make glutathione, the body’s primary antioxidant. Glutathione is critical for protecting your immune cells (leukocytes) and helping them to function optimally.

7. Improved sleep and recovery

In today’s modern, fast-paced world, nearly all of us could benefit from sleeping a little better and feeling less stressed. Making sure you are consuming enough magnesium is an easy win for boosting recovery.

Magnesium activates the parasympathetic or ‘rest and digest’ nervous system. Its primary role is to conserve the body’s natural activity, such as decreasing heart rate, slowing breathing, and digestion.

Activating this system also increases physical and mental relaxation. As a result, magnesium can help to relax the nervous system before bed, helping to promote restorative sleep. Observational studies also show that higher magnesium intakes correlate with improvements in the sleep cycle.

If you struggle with taking a long time to fall asleep, daytime napping, snoring or waking in the night, increasing your magnesium intake may help.

8. Decreased stress

Many of us live with chronic stress, resulting in our sympathetic or ‘fight-or-flight’ response being overstimulated. Magnesium’s effects on the parasympathetic nervous system also make it highly beneficial for minimising the effects of chronic stress.

A long-term randomised control trial examined the long-term influence of magnesium supplementation and strength-endurance training on Heart Rate Variability (HRV) .

HRV is a health marker that measures the variation between consecutive heartbeats. It provides a snapshot of the balance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. Increasing evidence shows that higher HRV scores are associated with improved mental and physical health.

Participants took a 400mg daily magnesium supplement for three months. The results showed a clear increase in parasympathetic activity and activity of the vagus nerve, which controls vital functions such as digestion, heart rate and the immune system.

But that’s not all.

Magnesium also plays a crucial role in regulating numerous biochemical reactions in the body, particularly in the brain

9. Improved mood and reduced risk of headaches and migraines

Magnesium’s effects on the nervous system make it highly beneficial for easing migraines and headaches. A large body of literature now shows that magnesium deficiency may also increase the occurrence of migraines and tension headaches.

Key to this is magnesium’s positive influence on neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric acid), which regulate mood, behaviour, sleep and memory.

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that control various processes throughout the body. Magnesium deficiency can prevent these systems from functioning optimally, increasing the risk of developing conditions like depression and anxiety.

Hopefully, you’re now convinced of the benefits of magnesium. Here’s how you can boost your intake of this key mineral.

Which foods are high in magnesium?

Magnesium naturally occurs in a variety of foods and can also be taken as a dietary supplement. Foods such as bananas, almonds, broccoli, brown rice, whole grains, green vegetables and milk are all good sources of magnesium.

If you eat a balanced, nutritious diet, in theory, you should be able to obtain all the magnesium you need from your food.

But a few key reasons make this almost impossible for most people, even with the best nutritional habits and lifestyle.
Foods today contain 25-80% less magnesium than 50 years ago.

Modern farming practices, such as the use of pesticides and fertilisers, as well as changes in soil conditions and quality, mean that many of the foods we eat today are low in magnesium.

Moreover, the manufacturing process for foods like refined oils, grains and sugar means that they contain barely any magnesium by the time they reach our plates.

And even if you eat mostly single-ingredient, whole foods, it may not be enough to prevent magnesium deficiency.

The UK Government’s ‘Composition of Food Tables’ shows a steady decline in the magnesium content of food over the last century. Between 1940 and 1991, there was a 24% decline in magnesium in vegetables, 17% in fruit, 15% in meats and 26% in cheese. Fast-forward 30 years to today, and these figures are likely to be even higher. Figures also show that the magnesium content in wheat has dropped by 20% since 1968.

As a result, most people who eat a standard Western diet do not consume enough magnesium to meet the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Research consistently shows that people who live in countries with the highest intakes of processed foods high in refined grains, fat, phosphate and sugar are most at risk of deficiency.

But the effects of the modern Western lifestyle don’t stop there. Diets that are low in nutrients and high in processed, calorie-dense foods have secondary effects that make magnesium deficiency even more likely.

Magnesium deficiency has negative effects on gut health

Around 30-70% of dietary magnesium is absorbed in the intestine. The bacteria in your gut play a critical role in harvesting, storing and using energy from foods. Even slight disruptions to this delicate ecosystem, which may be exacerbated by diets high in processed and inflammatory foods, can result in the malabsorption of micronutrients like magnesium.

We are also increasingly understanding the importance of disruptions to the gut microbiome in the development of obesity. A wealth of research shows a two-way relationship between poor gut health, obesity, chronic inflammation and lifestyle diseases. Gut dysbiosis, an imbalance in your gut bacteria, triggers changes in the body that make managing hunger and appetite much harder.

Being overweight is itself an inflammatory state that can negatively impact the balance of your gut microbiota. This can make it harder to fully absorb the nutrients in foods. If you are one of the 62% of UK adults who are overweight or obese, you may need to supplement, even if you are making positive changes to your diet.
How much magnesium do you need?

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of magnesium is 420mg daily for adult men and 320mg for adult women.
Pregnant or lactating women should consume at least 360mg of magnesium daily.
Taking high doses of magnesium (over 400mg) can cause diarrhoea in the short term. We do not yet know the effects of taking high doses of magnesium for a long time.

Most clinicians recommend having roughly a 2:1 balance of calcium to magnesium in your diet.

Your risk of metabolic, inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases increases if this ratio becomes unbalanced due to low magnesium intake. Long-term studies in the United States show that the incidence of type 2 diabetes rose sharply between 1994 and 2001 as the ratio of calcium-to-magnesium intake from food rose from below 3.0mg/L to above 3.0mg/L.

Therefore, even though the RDA may be 320mg for women and 420mg for men, you may need more to balance your calcium intake. For example, if you consume the optimal daily intake of calcium for women aged 51+ of 1,200 mg of calcium, you will also need 600 mg of magnesium to balance it.

Do you need to supplement with magnesium?

Statistics show that up to 48% of people consume less than the recommended magnesium intake. As a result, it is estimated that up to 20% of people may be deficient.
So do you need to supplement with magnesium? If you fall into one of the following categories, you may be deficient without realising it.

1. You work out a lot

If you exercise regularly, the amount of magnesium you need rises. Around 15mg of magnesium is lost in sweat each day, which increases when you perform high-intensity exercise.
Strenuous exercise increases magnesium requirements by 10-20%. As a result, you may need to supplement with magnesium.

2. You use aluminium-based products

You probably use aluminium products every day without even noticing. Cookware deodorants, over the counter and prescription medications, baking powder, or baked goods; if you use any of these products, you may benefit from a magnesium supplement.
Environmental aluminium toxicity increases the risk of magnesium deficiency because it reduces how much we absorb from the diet by around fivefold. As a result, the body retains up to 41% less magnesium in bone.

3. You are a woman

Women have increased magnesium requirements due to reproductive processes.
Magnesium deficiency in women is associated with conditions like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), weight gain, PMS, mood disorders and dysbiosis. During menopause, it may increase the risk of hot flashes, CVD, osteoporosis, insulin resistance, high blood pressure and constipation.

And if you’re a woman who struggles with severe PMS, supplementing with magnesium may be a no-brainer. Several studies have shown that women who suffer from PMS have lower magnesium levels than women who do not.
Magnesium is also highly beneficial for women who suffer from PCOS through its positive effects on insulin sensitivity.
Likewise, supplementing with magnesium may be necessary if you are at risk of or have been told you have osteoporosis.

4. You struggle to follow a healthy lifestyle

People who eat a lot of processed foods high in refined grains, fat and sugar are most likely to be deficient in magnesium.
As well as containing low levels of magnesium, these foods are also large sources of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which increase our magnesium requirements. For example, dairy products like cheese have a very high phosphorus to magnesium ratio.
Supplementation is a must if you eat a lot of packaged and processed bread and bakery products, sodas and sugary treats, and few magnesium-rich foods.

5. You have poor gut health

Since magnesium is absorbed through the gut, malabsorption can result in deficiency. High alcohol intake can also increase the risk of low magnesium.
You may need to supplement if you have a history of digestive problems. This includes Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, coeliac disease, gastroenteritis, or ulcerative colitis).

6. You have high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol

Due to magnesium’s interactions with insulin and heart health, supplementing is crucial if you have any kind of metabolic condition, such as hypertension, diabetes or high cholesterol.
A meta-analysis covering 5,500 patients found that magnesium levels were significantly lower in patients with metabolic syndrome versus controls.
Patients with type 2 diabetes have also been found to have lower magnesium levels compared to healthy individuals.

7. You use certain medications

If you supplement with calcium, you are more likely to be magnesium deficient. This is because calcium and magnesium compete for absorption.

Likewise, over-supplementing with vitamin D may cause magnesium deficiency as it causes excessive calcium absorption, which can cause a build-up of calcium in the arteries.

You may be more likely to be deficient if you use diuretics and other medications, such as some heart medicines and antibiotics. Always check with your doctor before taking magnesium if you take any medications.

Diagnosing magnesium deficiency

Magnesium deficiency is known as hypomagnesemia.
Magnesium deficiency is very difficult to diagnose as it shares symptoms with many other conditions, and there may be many contributing factors.
If you or your doctor suspects that you may be deficient in magnesium, they may ask you to take a blood test. Normal blood magnesium levels are between 1.8 and 2.2mg/dL.
Anything below this range is considered low, and blood magnesium levels under 1.25mg/dL are classed as severe hypomagnesemia.
Common symptoms of magnesium deficiency may include high blood pressure, asthma, migraine, muscle weakness and cramps, and depression.

Lifestyle considerations when taking magnesium

Supplements should always support rather than replace a healthy diet. Therefore, if you do not eat many natural sources of magnesium, consider making changes to your diet to include more fresh sources of magnesium-rich foods in addition to supplementing.

If you plan on taking magnesium to assist with sleep and recovery, make sure to combine supplementation with other lifestyle changes, such as following good sleep hygiene and making time for reading or meditation.

How to supplement with magnesium

Most magnesium supplements are known as ‘chelates’, which means they contain elemental magnesium bound to a carrier molecule bound by two or more attachment points.

The term ‘chelated’ refers to how the elemental magnesium is bound to a carrier, which influences its bioavailability, meaning how much you absorb from it.

Chelated forms of magnesium include:

• magnesium ascorbate
• magnesium carbonate
• magnesium chloride
• magnesium citrate
• magnesium glycinate
• magnesium lactate
• magnesium malate
• magnesium orotate
• magnesium oxide
• magnesium sulphate
• magnesium l-threonate

Bioavailability of magnesium supplements

All the supplements we can find are combinations with another substance, usually a salt. Each salt will provide a different amount of the elemental mineral. The amount of magnesium and its bioavailability are the key elements for an effective supplement.

Bioavailability refers to the amount of elemental magnesium that our body will absorb in the end.

There are other factors that affect the absorption, such as the levels of magnesium in each person’s reserves: it will be absorbed more slowly if the body levels are already adequate. It will be excreted through the urine or feces if it is taken excessively.
To put it simply, the amount of magnesium that the tissues can use is based on how soluble the magnesium form is, and the amount of elemental or ionic magnesium that is released.

Stability constant

A value called “stability constant” refers to the binding of the mineral-cofactor complex (salt or other molecule). Stability constants measure the strength of the bonds between the molecule and the compound, and go from 0 upwards. The lower the number, the easier it will be to dissolve the bond of the ionic bonds, which means that the body can absorb it more easily.

Types of magnesium supplements

Choosing to use magnesium supplementation in our diet can lead to an improvement of our health, avoiding a possible deficit.

Magnesium ascorbate

Magnesium ascorbate is a source of vitamin C and magnesium. It is a neutral salt with a higher gastrointestinal tolerance than the other forms. It contains 6.4% of the elemental mineral. This organic bond is regarded as the most natural and bioavailable form by the organism to combat stress. It can help with the detoxification of some heavy metals, such as lead and other toxic chemicals.
Ascorbic acid is involved in the absorption, transport and storage of iron, and it stimulates the synthesis of ferritin at an intestinal level to promote the storage in cells. It also has important antioxidant properties.

Magnesium aspartate

Aspartic acid is a critical energy-carrying intermediate, as well as being a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system.

Magnesium carbonate

Magnesium carbonate is a white powder compound that is produced naturally as dolomite and magnesite.
This form provides a 42% of the elemental mineral, with an bioavailability rate between 5-30%. High doses can produce laxative effects. Magnesium carbonate reacts with hydrochloric acid in the stomach to form magnesium chloride, depending on the levels of acid in the stomach.
Magnesium carbonate can help to improve the solubility and availability of phenofibric acid, which is used as a treatment for patients with high cholesterol and triglycerides.
Due to its laxative properties, it would be better to take it in the morning on an empty stomach. The powder format can be dissolved directly with water.

The main function of magnesium carbonate would be as a remedy against constipation, because it facilitates the defecation. It is an anti-acid remedy.

Magnesium chloride

Magnesium chloride is one of the magnesium salts with the highest absorption rate, although it only contains approximately a 12% of elemental magnesium. It has a stability constant of 0, and it is the best form of magnesium for the detoxification of cells and tissues. On the other hand, chloride (not to be confused with chlorine, a toxic gas) helps with the kidney function and it can increase the metabolism.

Magnesium chloride provides the chloride of its composition to produce hydrochloric acid in the stomach and improve its absorption. This is particularly suitable for anyone with a low stomach acidity, which will help with the digestions.

Magnesium citrate

Magnesium citrate is obtained from the magnesium salt of citric acid. This form of magnesium has a lower concentration, but a good bioavailability (16%), mainly due to the magnesium-citric acid bond. Citrate is a large molecule, so there is less magnesium per weight than in any other form, such as magnesium oxide.

Magnesium citrate works by attracting water through the tissues by osmosis. When it reaches the small intestine, it gets enough water to encourage defecation. The extra water helps to produce more stool, stimulating the intestinal mobility and therefore triggering a mild laxative effect.
Since citric acid is a mild laxative, magnesium citrate provides two benefits: it helps with constipation and prevents kidney stones, apart from being a source of magnesium. It is a great choice for people with rectal or colon problems, but is not suitable for those with diarrhea or loose stools. It is advisable to take it on an empty stomach with a glass of water to help with its absorption.

Magnesium glycinate

Magnesium glycinate is the binding of the mineral together with the amino acid glycine, resulting in a chelated bond (magnesium bound to glycine, a non-essential amino acid). It is one of the most bioavailable and absorbable forms of magnesium, and also one that causes the least gastrointestinal problems, like the laxative effect of other forms and inducing diarrhea. It is the safest choice to fix a deficiency in the long term.
Glycine is a big molecule, which means that there is less magnesium per weight, moreover, this amino acid is a neurotransmitter with anxiolytic properties, enhancing the relaxing effect of magnesium itself.
Magnesium glycinate may be the best form for those who want a supplement to increase calmness and mental relaxation.

The absorption of magnesium depends on several factors, and another one that we have not mentioned is the one produced by the phytates found in cereals and nuts. Its task will be to hinder the absorption through a chelating effect which will drastically drop. Thus, it is better to take magnesium and these foods separately. In this sense, magnesium glycinate reduces this effect and solves this problem if the person tends to consume this supplement at breakfast with this type of foods.

Magnesium lactate

This type has a moderate concentration, but a high level of bioavailability. It is used as a treatment for digestive problems. Magnesium lactate encourages heart health. It also facilitates the tasks of the nervous and digestive systems. This supplement is contraindicated for heart or kidney diseases.

Magnesium malate

This form of magnesium provides a 6.5% of the elemental mineral with a stability constant of 1.55, with weak ionic bonds of magnesium and malic acid, which break easily, so it is easily soluble in the body.
Malic acid is used in the mitochondria to produce energy, playing a role both in the synthesis of ATP and in the Krebs cycle. In this way, it could be able to reduce the symptoms of chronic fatigue. Both elements, magnesium and malic acid, have a detoxifying function of heavy metals in the body, like in the case of aluminium toxicity.
Moreover, such combination could relieve the symptoms of joint pain and connective tissue produced by fibromyalgia, according to research.

Magnesium orotate

Orotate, has heart health benefits. Orotic acid is used to make the building blocks of DNA, and in animals, orotate increases the heart's energy stores and energy levels, and increases its protein synthesis. This is particularly important in people who have had heart failure, which causes heart energy levels to sink.

Magnesium oxide

Magnesium oxide is a metal oxide, which belongs to the group of alkaline earths, and it can be found naturally in metamorphic rocks. The chemical formula is MgO, which indicates that it contains one magnesium atom and one oxygen atom, forming an ionic bond. Magnesium oxide has a wide range of uses and it can be found in many household and industrial items, apart from being an anti-acid remedy (relieves gastric reflux, as it has a high pH), a laxative element and, of course, as dietary supplements to supply the micronutrients that may be missing from the diet.

This form of magnesium offers a high concentration (60%), but poor absorption levels, due to a constant high stability. It is estimated that the intestinal absorption is around a 4%.
Example: from a capsule of 500mg of magnesium oxide, we will obtain a 60% of mineral, which is equivalent to 300mg, of which our body will absorb a 4% in the end, that is, 12mg.

Magnesium sulphate

Magnesium sulphate is the result of combining the mineral with a salt that is widely available in the geological environment, obtained from the mineral called epsomite, which is a white solid substance found on the surface of the Earth. Apart from this, it is also found in the oceans and natural springs. It provides a 10% of the elemental mineral. Sulphate helps to improve the absorption of nutrients, eliminates toxins and helps to relieve headaches. It can be injected intravenously to treat acute migraine cases, as shown in this study.
Some of the possible benefits from these salts are: helping to deal with stress and achieving a greater feeling of relaxation, relieving pain and muscle cramps, helping to regulate the electrolyte levels, apart from ensuring the proper functioning of the muscles, nerves and enzymes.

Magnesium's role in the brain

Magnesium plays a critical role in supporting neuroplasticity which is fundamental for a youthful, flexible brain. A brain that is optimized to support cognition, learning and memory.

Raising brain magnesium levels has been proven to restore neuroplasticity and improve cognitive function.

Magnesium deficiency has been associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. Scientists have found that treatment with magnesium-L-threonate decreases β-amyloid deposits in the brain. And is able to rebuild signaling pathways in neurons helping to restore memory.

And magnesium is required for ATP synthesis in brain cells. Providing the mental energy needed for cognition, memory, recall and learning.

Research has shown that magnesium is involved in memory, learning and cognition on several levels. Supplementing with magnesium is one of the most fundamental things you can do to boost cognition.

Magnesium improves long-term memory

Synapses in the hippocampus and other areas of your brain strengthen the more they’re used. Even brief repetitive activity results in a substantial increase in synaptic strength. The results can last for several hours. Or even weeks afterwards. This is called ‘long-term potentiation’.

Magnesium relieves depression

Researchers have found magnesium works in the hippocampus to suppress the release of the stress hormone ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone). This is the hormone that tells your adrenal glands to release more cortisol and adrenaline.

Too much cortisol eventually damages the hippocampus in the brain. This causes a negative feedback loop which results in even more stress. Which is toxic to the brain and your entire body. And one of the causes of chronic depression.

Magnesium may relieve symptoms of ADHD

Magnesium in the treatment of ADHD is becoming more mainstream. And there is a growing body of research that supports the idea that one of the factors causing ADHD is a lack of magnesium.

Magnesium and the blood-brain barrier

Recommended magnesium dosage in most common forms is 400 mg per day. But the problem is most magnesium supplements don’t work well as a nootropic. Because they don’t cross the blood-brain barrier.

Research begun at MIT where dr. Slutsky came up with a new magnesium supplement called Magnesium-L-threonate (MagT). This new magnesium compound easily crosses the blood-brain barrier.

This form of magnesium was patented and now produced by MagteinTM Science. Several supplement companies sell magnesium with this branded form of magnesium.

Recommended dose of Magnesium-L-threonate is up to 1 gram per day.

Conclusion

Studies show that different types of magnesium salts are more ‘bioavailable’ than others. For example, organic magnesium salts, such as magnesium citrate, appear to result in much higher absorption rates than inorganic salts like magnesium oxide.

Magnesium glycinate has higher bioavailability than other, more traditional forms of magnesium supplementation. As a result, more magnesium is available for use in the body.

Not all forms of magnesium are suitable for treating magnesium deficiency. For example, magnesium L-threonate is a highly effective supplement for improving memory and mood as it can reach the brain, unlike other forms of magnesium. However, it does not contain enough elemental magnesium to treat magnesium deficiency effectively.