Medically reviewed by Melanie Fiorella, M.D.
Adios, ashwagandha. Ciao, calcium. The most recent complement darling on social media is magnesium. From the sleepy woman mocktail to migraines, there’s quite a lot of buzz about the advantages of magnesium. However how a lot of it’s true and do you have to think about taking a magnesium complement?
We reached out to Melanie Fiorella, M.D., an integrative major care doctor and director of the Middle for Integrative Training at College of California San Diego, to get the details.
What’s magnesium?
Magnesium is a naturally occurring mineral in your body. It helps you regulate blood sugar and blood strain and helps with nerve and muscle perform. Magnesium additionally helps hold your bones sturdy and your coronary heart beat regular amongst different essential issues.
In case you’ve ever perused the complement aisle for magnesium, you recognize there are quite a lot of choices on the market. It’s because many magnesium dietary supplements are blends of various sorts. Fiorella famous which you could tailor the dietary supplements to your signs. “As an example, if in case you have constipation plus quite a lot of cramping I’d use magnesium citrate as a result of it’s bioavailable so it’s simply absorbed,” she stated.
What are the various kinds of magnesium?
Completely different types of magnesium supplements may help with completely different wants. The frequent sorts and related well being circumstances embrace:
Magnesium L-threonate for pain, temper and mind perform
What’s magnesium good for?
Magnesium helps greater than 300 enzymes create chemical reactions in your physique. So it’s good in your well being general. And this can be very true for girls and other people assigned feminine at beginning.
“Usually, we now have a magnesium deficiency in our food regimen and there is quite a lot of affiliation with menstrual and hormonal-type points similar to painful intervals or menstrual migraines due to this deficiency,” Fiorella stated. A complement could assist with cramping and likewise normal fatigue throughout your interval, too.
Analysis is ongoing relating to the advantages of magnesium, however research present magnesium can profit sure well being circumstances. These can embrace:
Analysis exhibits higher levels of magnesium can scale back the danger for heart problems and stroke. In a single study of postmenopausal girls, low magnesium consumption was related to a better danger of coronary heart failure.
Magnesium performs a job in managing blood sugar levels. And individuals who eat much less magnesium are likely to have larger blood sugars and a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Research present taking a magnesium complement could help prevent migraine attacks in some individuals. “I’ve seen actually good advantages to individuals after they begin supplementing every day with the discount in what number of migraines they’ve. It isn’t nice for stopping a migraine as soon as it begins, nevertheless it’s good for prevention,” Fiorella stated.
Does the sleepy woman mocktail actually make you sleep higher?
You possibly can’t imagine the whole lot you learn on the web, however there could also be one thing to the “sleepy woman” mocktail making the rounds on social media. Fiorella stated the combo of tart cherry juice and magnesium powder could be a good mixture to assist higher sleep. “Tart cherries comprise tryptophan and improve melatonin so taking that earlier than mattress — plus the magnesium — is nice,” she stated. Magnesium has an general stress-free impact on the physique as a result of it relaxes muscle tissues and helps decrease anxiousness. “It’s one of many first issues I like to recommend for insomnia and simply normal sleep.”
What meals have magnesium?
You get magnesium from the meals you eat. These can embrace:
- Leafy greens
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Complete grains
- Fish
- Poultry
- Beef
“Pumpkin seeds and Brazil nuts are actually good,” Fiorella stated. Magnesium can be added to meals like fortified cereal. Bottled, mineral and faucet water may also comprise magnesium.
What does the FDA say about magnesium?
In 2022, the FDA announced there was sufficient scientific proof to assist the connection between magnesium and diminished danger for hypertension. This implies meals and dietary dietary supplements can promote this well being declare on merchandise so long as that product has not less than 84 mg of magnesium per serving and, for dietary dietary supplements, not more than 350 mg.
The recommended daily allowance for magnesium is 320 mg for girls ages 31-51 and 420 mg for girls 51 and older.
Who shouldn’t take magnesium?
Sure drugs can work together with magnesium dietary supplements or lower the absorption of the medicine. These drugs can embrace:
- Antibiotics
- Diuretics
- Proton pump inhibitors
- Bisphosphonates
Fiorella famous that individuals with kidney illness ought to keep away from magnesium dietary supplements.
What else do we have to learn about magnesium?
Magnesium is protected to take general. Nonetheless, an excessive amount of magnesium could cause diarrhea, nausea and belly cramping. Very excessive intakes of magnesium can result in irregular heartbeat and cardiac arrest. Discuss to your healthcare supplier earlier than taking magnesium or another complement.
