SupplementScience Magnesium: A Mineral With Multiple Applications By Gene Bruno, MS, MHS 9 agnesium is an essential • Alcoholism: An increase in magne- as antacids. mineral with multiple sium excretion is common in chronic • Diabetes: Magnesium chloride has functions in the human alcoholism due to poor dietary practices been shown to improve fasting glucose 10,11 body. This includes a and gastrointestinal issues. levels and insulin resistance in diabetes. structural role in bone, • Aging: Research shows that the eld- Magnesium pidolate improved insulin 12 Mcell membranes and chromosomes.1 It is erly tend to have low magnesium intake response and action. needed for more than 300 metabolic and a decrease in intestinal magnesium • Hearing loss: Magnesium aspartate 2 reactions2, including magnesium- absorption. has been shown to reduce hearing loss (in dependent chemical reactions required The Daily Value for magnesium is 400 normal-hearing adults) due to high levels 13 to metabolize carbohydrates and fats in mg, although there are some instances of impulse noises. the production of adenosine triphos- in which higher doses may be indicated. • Kidney stones: Magnesium hydrox- 14 phate (ATP)1, the “energy currency” of ide reduced kidney stones, and eliminat- the body. In addition, magnesium is Deficiency Ramifications ed them in a significant number of cases. 15 required for the synthesis of nucleic Magnesium deficiency leads to patho- Magnesium oxide with vitamin B6 also acids, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids logical changes in the immune system decreased kidney stone formation. and the antioxidant glutathione.1 that are related to the initiating of an • Migraine headache: Trimagnesium 16 17 Magnesium is also required for trans- inflammatory response.5 In addition, dicitrate and magnesium citrate have porting potassium and calcium ions most human cells can only replicate a been shown to reduce the frequency of across cell membranes. The conduction limited number of times before they migraine headache attacks. Magnesium of nerve impulses, muscle contraction, lose the ability to divide, a phenome- oxide was effective in preventing 18 normal heart rhythm1, cell signaling1 and non known as replicative senescence, migraine in children. cell migration (which may be important which seems to play a role in aging. • Mitral valve prolapse: Treatment with 19 in wound healing)1 are also all magne- Recent studies have shown that low magnesium carbonate decreased symp- sium-dependent activities. magnesium accelerates the senescence toms of weakness, chest pain, dyspnea, of human endothelial cells and fibrob- palpitations and anxiety in patients with Magnesium Adequacy lasts. Since several pieces of evidence mitral valve prolapse. Although overt magnesium (Mg) defi- link low magnesium to aging and age- • Osteoporosis: Magnesium hydroxide ciency is not common in healthy individ- related diseases, and the Western diet reduced fractures and increased bone uals who are consuming a balanced is relatively deficient in magnesium, it density in postmenopausal women with 20 diet, the United States Department of has been suggested that correcting osteoporosis. 21 Agriculture, Agricultural Research nutritional intakes of magnesium might • PMS: Magnesium oxide and magne- 22 Service, has reported that 57 percent of contribute to healthier aging and the sium pyrrolidone carboxylic acid have 6 the U.S. population does not meet the prevention of age-related diseases. To been shown to help relieve symptoms of recommended dietary allowance (RDA) correct such magnesium deficiencies, premenstrual syndrome. 23 for levels of Mg.3 Furthermore, there are supplementation with magnesium sup- • Hypertension: Magnesium oxide and 7 24 specific conditions that place individuals plements is effective. magnesium hydroxide reduced blood at a higher risk for Mg deficiency. These pressure in patients with hypertension. include4: Applications for Supplemental • Leg cramps: Magnesium lactate and 25 • Gastrointestinal disorders: Con- Magnesium magnesium citrate significantly reduced ditions involving prolonged diarrhea Research suggests that there are quite a leg cramps in pregnant women. 26 (e.g., Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, few applications for supplemental magne- • Restless legs: Magnesium oxide intestinal inflammation) are associated sium: helped treat restless leg syndrome (peri- with a reduction in magnesium status. • Constipation: Magnesium citrate, sul- odic limb movement during sleep), • Renal magnesium wasting: Long- fate, and hydroxide are used in laxatives. increasing the amount of sleep. 27 term use of diuretics and other medica- Magnesium attracts water into the intes- • Sports nutrition: Magnesium sulfate tions1 can increase urinary excretion of tines, stimulating bowel motility.8 may positively affect sports performance magnesium. Renal damage in diabetes • Antacid: Magnesium carbonate, by decreasing lactic acid levels. mellitus can have a similar effect. hydroxide, oxide and trisilicate are used • Cholesterol levels: Magnesium oxide 38 VITAMIN RETAILER WWW.VITAMINRETAILER.COM I MAY 2013 SupplementScience monohydrate28 significantly improved good, and even better than some other 6 Killilea DW, Maier JA. A connection between total and LDL cholesterol levels while forms tested. magnesium deficiency and aging: new insights from inhibiting platelet aggregation in healthy Now, let’s consider the practical cellular studies. Magnes Res. 2008;21(2):77-82. 7 Galland L. Magnesium and inflammatory bowel subjects. aspects of magnesium source and mag- disease. Magnesium. 1988;7:78-83. • Inflammation: Magnesium oxide nesium absorption by comparing apples 8 Anderson PO, Knoben JE. Handbook of Clinical Drug monohydrate29 reduced C-reactive protein to apples: if you used the 667 mg of Data. 8th ed. Stamford, CT: Appleton & Lange; 1997. levels, a serum marker for inflammation. magnesium citrate and 667 mg of mag- 9 Swain R, et al. South Med J. 1999;92:1040-7. nesium oxide, the total elemental mag- 10 Rodriguez-Moran M, et al. Diabetes Care. nesium you’d receive would be about 2003;26:1147-52. Sources of Magnesium 11 Guerrero-Romero F, et al. Diabetes Metab. Magnesium doesn’t naturally exist by 107 mg from citrate and 400 mg from 2004;30:253-8. itself. Rather it is attached to some type oxide. Even with 6.84 percent greater 12 Paolisso G, Am J Clin Nutr. 1992;55:1161-7. of organic or inorganic acid. Minerals magnesium absorption from citrate, 13 Attias J, Am J Otolaryngol. 1994;15:26-32. attached to acids are called mineral you’d still end up with far more magne- 14 Johansson G, J Urol. 1980;124:770–4. salts. All forms of magnesium used in sium from the oxide source: 15 Rattan V, Urol Res. 1994;22:161-5. dietary supplements provide one or 16 Peikert A, Cephalalgia. 1996;16:257-63. 17 Demirkaya S, J Headache Pain. 2000;1:179-86. 667 mg Net mg more magnesium salts. For example, if % 18 Wang F, Headache. 2003;43:601-10. magnes. salt absorbed you attached citric acid to magnesium, absorbed 19 Lichodziejewska B, et al. Am J Cardiol. 1997; Citrate you would have a magnesium salt 29.64 17.1 mg 79:768-72. called magnesium citrate (which is fre- (16 percent) percent 20 Stendig-Lindberg G, et al. Magnes Res. 1993; 6:155-63. quently touted as being a well-ab- Oxide 22.8 91.2 mg 21 Walker AF, et al. J Womens Health. 1998;7:1157-65. sorbed form of calcium). The issue with (60 percent) percent 22 Facchinetti F, et al. Obstet Gynecol. 1991;78:177-81. different magnesium salts is that they all 23 Sanjuliani AF, Int J Cardiol. 1996;56:177-83. provide different percentages of actual, It may also interest you to know that 24 Widman L, et al. Am J Hypertens. 1993;6:41-5. or elemental, magnesium by weight. a recent study published in the journal, 25 Dahle LO, et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1995; 173: Sticking with the example of magne- Magnesium Research32, found that mag- 175-80. sium citrate, it provides about 16 per- nesium oxide monohydrate had better 26 Hornyak M, et al. Sleep. 1998;21:501-5. cent elemental magnesium.30 absorption than magnesium citrate. In 27 Ç›nar V, Nizaml›o lu M, Mo ulkoc R. The effect of magnesium supplementation on lactate levels of By comparison, magnesium oxide is this case, researchers did a biopsy to sportsmen and sedanter. Acta Physiologica Hungarica. about 60 percent elemental magnesium measure the amount of magnesium that 2006;93(2–3):137–144. —a much higher elemental potency, had been absorbed into the cell. They 28 Shechter M, Saad T, Shechter A, Koren-Morag and clearly a good source of magne- found that more of the magnesium N, Silver BB, Matetzky S. Comparison of magnesium sium. That means to obtain 400 mg of oxide monohydrate got into the cell status using X-ray dispersion analysis following mag- elemental magnesium (the daily value than magnesium citrate. This suggests nesium oxide and magnesium citrate treatment of for this nutrient) you’d have to consume that the reason that other researchers healthy subjects. Magnes Res. 2012; 25(1): 28-39. 29 Shechter M, Saad T, Shechter A, Koren-Morag found higher blood levels of magne- about 2,500 mg of magnesium citrate N, Silver BB, Matetzky S. Comparison of magnesium or 667 mg of magnesium oxide. That’s sium citrate in the blood than magne- status using X-ray dispersion analysis following mag- easily more than triple the amount of sium oxide, is that less of the magne- nesium oxide and magnesium citrate treatment of magnesium citrate tablets you’d have to sium citrate got into the cell. healthy subjects. Magnes Res. 2012; 25(1): 28-39. take compared to magnesium oxide In any case, the bottom line is that 30 Klasco RK (Ed): USP DI® Drug Information for tablets. while some magnesium salts are better the Healthcare Professional. Thomson MICROMEDEX, absorbed than others, what is most Greenwood Village, Colorado 2003. Often when reading the labels of mag- 31 Ranade VV, Somberg JC. Bioavailability and nesium products, the issue of elemental important is to get an adequate ele- Pharmacokinetics of Magnesium After magnesium potency can be confusing or mental amount of the mineral, and to Administration of Magnesium Salts to Humans.