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Magnesium and the Brain (2011)
- akuji1993 9y agoChecking Google Scholar, this seems to be proven by clinical trials: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0180067 http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal..... Interesting.
- S_A_P 9y agoI've no doubt of some efficacy in certain situations for magnesium. However this article reads like this is the magic bullet to society's ails. Very anecdotal and hand picked cases do not make for a cure all, because there is no one substance that possesses this ability.
- marcosdumay 9y agoMagnesium is pushed as a silver bullet for decades already. But real researchers are discovering new uses for it all the time. I guess it is just yet another of those nutrients that our diet is lacking.
- kwoff 9y agoMercury was also a silver bullet, back in the day.
- roceasta 9y agoEmily Deans writes very informatively about nutrition topics in a sea of dross (also about medicine, psychology, biology if I recall correctly). Another use of Magnesium is as a adjunct to Vitamin D3 supplementation, since magnesium is used up in its metabolism and action.
- _h_o_d_ 9y agoGot linky? I can google, but you may have the best link. ALso, anyone know of any good but inexpensive purchasable supplements that target magnesium / related compound mixes to reasonable research results like this? (or just to buy them separately)
- roceasta 9y agoCan't recommend a specific link, but I remember when looking into vitamins and so on several years ago I found the Vitamin D Council and the Weston Price Foundation both interesting and useful.
- mrfusion 9y agoCan anyone recommend a good supplement? There seem to be so many choices and compounds.
- visarga 9y agoAvoid Magnesium oxide, it has low bioavailability. Try Magnesium carbonate instead, or any variant ending in -ate (Mg citrate, Mg chelate, ...).
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- shepardrtc 9y agoThe last Hacker News thread recommended Doctor's Best magnesium. I've been taking it for a year and its been great.
- cityroasted 9y agoI'm pretty happy with Natural Calm. It's a Magnesium Citrate powder, available flavored and unflavored. I take 1.5 tsp in the evening with a scoop of collagen powder as part of my routine.
- sol_remmy 9y agoJust beware that Labdoor found high levels of arsenic in Natural Calm magnesium, 10x the concentration of the #1 brand.
- insertnickname 9y agoHave a look at Labdoor's magnesium supplement reviews,[1] but keep in mind that the supplement they gave the highest quality score, Life Extension Magnesium Caps, is not necessarily the best supplement. It contains magnesium oxide, citrate, succinate, lysinate, and glycinate, but seeing as they managed to squeeze 500 mg of elemental magnesium into one capsule that a human can swallow, it's probably mostly magnesium oxide and not much of the other forms. So I would steer clear of that one. Magnesium oxide is cheaper and less bulky than other supplemental forms of magnesium, but it is supposedly poorly absorbed. The other top Mg supplements on Labdoor's list look OK, and I use Doctor's Best Magnesium (glycinate/lycinate) myself. Examine.com has a great article on magnesium,[2] including descriptions of the various magnesium compounds used in supplements. Tl;dr: magnesium citrate is well absorbed and relatively cheap. There are other good forms, but they are usually more expensive. 1. https://labdoor.com/rankings/magnesium https://labdoor.com/rankings/magnesium 2. https://examine.com/supplements/magnesium/ https://examine.com/supplements/magnesium/
- neilsimp1 9y agoI've recently given the Ketogenic diet a try. One of the things I was reading is that Keto-ers are generally pretty low on magnesium and may need to take supplements. I wonder if the lack of magnesium in the diet explains the so-called "keto flu."
- whb07 9y agoI think the keto flu is more due to being in a state of low blood sugar and inability for your body to deal with the change in fuel supply rather than mineral/vitamin deficiency. You could quickly shock your body by not eating for a day and working out hard to speed right by a prolonged keto flu
- fasteo 9y agoIt is my understanding that "keto flu" is due to the sudden loss of minerals via water loss during glycogen depletion (glycogen requires water to be stored) That's why the SKD (Standard Keto Diet) recommends an electrolyte supplement during the first week.
- S_A_P 9y agoMaybe this is TMI, but anyone wanting to try magnesium needs to ramp up their dose, as a sudden intake of magnesium supplement is likely to cause you to evacuate your colon in glorious fashion...
- QAPereo 9y agoMagnesium Phosphate enemas: the gold standard in "explosive" laxatives.
- jobu 9y agoMagnesium citrate and magnesium oxide (often called elemental magnesium or buffered magnesium) are the forms to avoid unless you're trying to clean out your colon. Look for Magnesium glycinate or magnesium bisglycinate, but be careful because some of those will include significant amounts of "buffered" or elemental magnesium.
- DerKommissar 9y agoIs elemental magnesium good or bad? Looking at reviews on Amazon they make it seem like a good thing.
- copperx 9y agoMaybe it's just me, but I wouldn't listen to medical advice from the comments section of Amazon.
- DerKommissar 9y agoI don't see how it's any better than a comment here. I just wanted clarification as to whether the poster thinks elemental magnesium is a good thing or a bad thing.
- fasteo 9y agoOn the positive side, this laxative effect is a perfect way to titrate the dosage: Keep increasing it until your colon starts screaming.
- visarga 9y agoMagnesium isn't good just for stress reduction, it is also great for sleep and relaxation. It also stimulates sex drive. Another wonder mineral is Calcium which can relieve back pains. When I take a combo of Ca+Mg I feel like I am 10 years younger.
- QAPereo 9y agohttp://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-attack/expert-answers/calcium-supplements/faq-20058352 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-attack/e... Some doctors think it's possible that taking calcium supplements may increase your risk of a heart attack. Other doctors believe that calcium supplements have little or no effect on your heart attack risk. Many people take calcium supplements to treat or prevent bone disease, such as osteoporosis. It's thought that the calcium in these supplements could make its way into fatty plaques in your arteries — a condition called atherosclerosis — causing those plaques to harden and increase your risk of heart disease. A 2013 study from the National Institutes of Health suggests there is an increased risk of heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular diseases from taking calcium supplements for men only. Other studies suggest there is an increased risk for both men and women. More research is needed before doctors know the effect calcium supplements may have on your heart attack risk. The calcium supplements that some doctors are concerned about are generally those that contain only calcium. However, more research is also needed to determine the effects of supplements combining calcium and vitamin D. Calcium from food sources, such as dairy and green leafy vegetables, is not a concern. Current recommendations for getting enough calcium for people who have, or have risk factors for, osteoporosis haven't changed. As with any health issue, it's important to talk to your doctor to determine what's most appropriate in your case.
- coldtea 9y ago>Some doctors think it's possible that taking calcium supplements may increase your risk of a heart attack. Other doctors believe that calcium supplements have little or no effect on your heart attack risk. Shouldn't it be what the medical science says on the matter, and individual doctors having no say in this?
- shepardrtc 9y agoThere was a thread on this about a year ago here, and after reading through the results I decided to start taking Magnesium supplements. I've had very good results. I really recommend it to anyone that has issues with anxiety or depression. While its certainly not a cure-all, its easy, cheap, and safe, so its absolutely worth a try.
- aantix 9y agoAgree. Magnesium Glycinate made a world of difference in calming my nerves. https://www.amazon.com/KAL-Magnesium-Glycinate-400-tablets/dp/B00013YZ1Q https://www.amazon.com/KAL-Magnesium-Glycinate-400-tablets/d... Also, L-Theanine is incredibly calming as well. https://www.amazon.com/NOW-L-Theanine-200-120-Capsules/dp/B00GQV9YX6 https://www.amazon.com/NOW-L-Theanine-200-120-Capsules/dp/B0...
- ianai 9y agoIs magnesium glycinate easier on your stomach?
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- jcomis 9y agoyes it is
- TheSpiceIsLife 9y agoIf I recall correctly magnesium glycinate is the most readily absorbed and utilised form of supplemental magnesium, followed by magnesium citrate.
- amelius 9y agoAlso, creatine (the stuff used by bodybuilders). http://healthyeatingharbor.com/5-side-effects-creatine-supplementation http://healthyeatingharbor.com/5-side-effects-creatine-suppl...
- 9y ago
- jerf 9y agoI have celiac. Most people know that that means "no wheat", but it also means having a difficulty absorbing nutrition in general, and I've gotten up close and personal with a variety of nutritional deficiencies, even in cases where I nominally had enough in my diet. For me personally, I seem to have the most trouble with the metals we're supposed to absorb; I can't speak to how common this is for celiacs (and I haven't found any particular research on that exact question; it may very well be out there but I haven't seen it). It turns out that in the last year I've discovered this also encompasses magnesium deficiency. What fun. So, I'd add: I'm really not convinced by the bioavailability of magnesium oxide. YMMV because maybe there's a threshold effect and I couldn't get anything from it and your normal digestive system will be able to, but I would suggest that if you are interested in magnesium, the actually bioavailable stuff isn't that much more expensive. I've been using: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BD0RT0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BD0RT0/ref=oh_aui_deta... and it very likely is having a positive effect on me where magnesium oxide was not having any effect. (For various complicated reasons it is difficult for me to be completely confident in that, but this claim is very likely.) In fact this seems to be a general pattern; what you can buy in your local grocery stores is often quite crap in terms of bioavailability, and even what you can get from dedicated health stores is often only marginally better. So you might think the "good stuff" must be likely to be more expensive... but it often isn't actually that much more expensive if you order it online. It's sort of weird. The other thing the article at best tangentially alludes to is that magnesium supplementation is likely to be a relatively slow process. In my experience, for some deficiencies I take a pill or two and within 24 hours I know yeah, I was missing that; iron I knew about after about a week (takes time to make blood). Magnesium takes a lot longer; I've read from others in similar positions to me that six months to a year in you can still be seeing improvements, which is matching my experience. If you want to try this out, be aware that it may be a subtle improvement over a long period of time, but it could also be a really important one. And that sucks, because the low amplitude of the signal relative to the day-to-day noise makes it really hard to tell if it's doing anything for you. However, that is simply what it is. Another thing that's relevant is that there are some nutrients that need to be in some balance, and it is possible to raise up your magnesium only to find out that need more potassium, too. There's also some interaction with calcium and sodium. I suspect that if you're normally healthy and eat reasonably healthily that you won't encounter these issues, though. (I have substantial evidence, but again, no proof, that my body does a particularly poor job absorbing potassium. Hard to imagine what proof would look like, honestly. Fortunately and/or amusingly, potassium supplements have the opposite problem most supplements have... they're actually dangerously bioavailable. So that one turns out to be somewhat easy to cover, except that I have to remember to take it in small doses throughout the day, and it shouldn't be mixed with magnesium at the same time because it turns out they like to get together in your stomach and react to form a compound that has neither the magnesium nor the potassium bioavailable. Isn't this just such fun? Ugh.) (Also, before someone smacks reply and starts trying to read me the riot act, please do review the careful caveating I've written into this post. I'm not an expert by any means; it is just that due to circumstances beyond my control and that I would not choose, I've been thrust into the deep end of this world and forced to go beyond what science can provide me completely rigorous answers for. And I am working with the conventional medical system here... however, there are just some ways that I'm having to improvise because when it really comes down to it, we're all unique whether we like it or not, and the doctors don't have all the answers for me. I'll cop to not being as careful as gwern, but, well, I'm generally dealing with much larger effects and much greater urgency than he is... I'm generally thinking in a multi-armed bandit style moreso than a conventional null-hypothesis p-value style.)
- mekonofmekonta 9y agoI should recommend taking magnesium chloride for strengthen your immune system, it is very well used in functional and natural medicine these days.
- interlocutor 9y agoMagnesium solved two problems for me: stiff muscles and insomnia. Scientific information about how magnesium works is hard to come by. Here's what I have been able to gather from various sources: The cells in your body need calcium to go into "on state". To go into "off state" magnesium has to go in and displace calcium. When your body is low on magnesium your muscles can't go into "off state" and your muscles become stiff. To relax you need an Epsom salt bath (it contains magnesium) or just take magnesium supplements. When your brain cells can't go to "off state" you can't sleep. You need magnesium to help your brain cells go into off state. However there is this thing called "blood brain barrier" (look it up) that prevents magnesium from easily entering the brain. However magnesium l-threonate (that's a compound of magnesium, not a brand name) can pass through the barrier and help you sleep. I have had sleep issues for many years. I saw many doctors including sleep specialists but all they wanted to do is put me on prescription meds. But these meds are addictive and you have to take it for the rest of your life. I didn't want that. These are "quick fixes". As a software developer I was interested in finding the underlying problem and fix that, as opposed to the quick fixes that the medical community was offering me. A breakthrough came when I saw a naturopathic doctor for my stiff muscles and she advised me to take Epsom salt baths. That seemed to help. I investigated more and found out that the ingredient in Epsom salt that helped me is magnesium. Then I found out that you can actually get magnesium pills and tried that. That worked remarkably well. But the big surprise was that I slept better the night I tried the magnesium pill. Since then I have been researching how it is that magnesium helped me sleep. Stress depletes magnesium in your body. If you are a software developer you are stressing your brain all day when you do your job and you are depleting magnesium. Low magnesium levels causes muscle issues as well as sleep issues. Magnesium supplements solve the problem. It is very unfortunate that medical doctors don't seem to be very knowledgeable about this topic. When I see doctors I mention that I am taking magnesium for muscle and sleep issues and they seem surprised, but no doctor has yet told me that I am wrong. Note that magnesium is a natural mineral, not a drug, essential for your body, and found in many foods. Excess amounts of magnesium can cause a laxative effect, but this is very temporary. Take magnesium before you go to bed, and the worst thing that can happen is you go easily the next morning.
- magic_beans 9y ago
- wyldfire 9y agoLots of discussion on supplements in the comments (which are totally fine). But for additional info, sources of dietary magnesium are (descending concentration): spinach/chard, pumpkin seeds, yogurt, almonds, black beans, avocado, figs, dark chocolate, banana.
- surrey-fringe 9y agoAlso, magnesium supplements.
- ouid 9y agoconcentration with respect to what?
- loeg 9y agoAh, neat. Black beans already form a large part of my diet.
- Z-Widwil 9y agoI would also like to add quinoa, broccoli, and peas. There is a salad I frequently make which I call the 'Max-nesium salad'. It's pretty much just a combination of spinach/chard, raw almond shavings, black beans, quinoa, broccoli, and peas. You can also throw in beets if you like them.
- mholmes680 9y ago"Max-nesium salad" would be just spinach though :) "Tasty and colorful max-nesium salad" would be yours.
- mollusk 9y agoI take magnesium every day because I have leg cramps, and supposedly it helps with that. Can't say that I notice any nootropic effects at all, but I do get less cramps, I guess.
- troycarlson 9y agoI started supplementing Magnesium about two years ago after listening to Tim Ferriss' interview with Charles Poliquin [0]. It has absolutely improved my sleep quality, workout recovery, testosterone levels (likely due to improved sleep), and mild depression. I recommend listening to the interview if you're interested in this type of stuff. Charles is a bit polarizing but he has consistently produced world class athletes over the years so he knows a few things. [0] https://tim.blog/2015/07/21/charles-poliquin/ https://tim.blog/2015/07/21/charles-poliquin/
- polskibus 9y agoI remember reading once about an essential Magnesium to Calcium ratio being 1:2 or 2:1. I didn't follow references, but that article mentioned that having that intake ratio severely distorted can affect your health negatively. Can anyone with better understanding of the subject comment on the Magnesium to Calcium ratio?
- sp332 9y agoHere's a guy who can't absorb magnesium properly (among other things) and needs regular injections. He's also literally a carnivore: http://forgetamnesia.tumblr.com/post/127847035996/i-am-an-actual-carnivore http://forgetamnesia.tumblr.com/post/127847035996/i-am-an-ac... He recently lost his job, his home, and some teeth. https://twitter.com/ForgetAmnesia/status/910536598990741504 https://twitter.com/ForgetAmnesia/status/910536598990741504
- neeleshs 9y agoI use magnesium water (milk of magnesia in soda water) to calm my heart palpitations. It's worked better than any prescription from my doc so far
- mholmes680 9y agoI'm curious have you talked to your doctor to complete that feedback loop?
- neeleshs 9y agoYes , I did. She basically said "oh,yes, that's a good idea. We often prescribe it for the condition"
- mholmes680 9y agoI've noticed the interactions with my doctor are strictly as, or less, informative than interactions with google. It's worrisome.
- joveian 9y agoI have a circadian rhythm disorder (non-24) and have tried a bunch of stuff that could potentially help with sleep, including magnesium in three or four different forms (including time release; they all seem to have the same effect). I also have a fairly good diet and likely get a good amount of magnesium from food. 500-600mg supplementation helps me stay asleep (but not get to sleep) but then I am much more tired the entire next day vs not getting the extra sleep. 300mg supplementation doesn't seem to do much of anything positive or negative. From this experince, I would recommend: 1) If you want to try a supplement, I suggest powder so that you can try different doses easily. The form does not seem to make a difference for most people from what I've read. There are flavored powders widely available (look for store brands) that mix with a small amount of water. 2) If magnesium supplementation helps you then that could be a sign that your health would be improved more by improving your diet than adding a magnesium supplement. 3) Pumpkin seeds are a good way to add magnesium and great snack food in general. I like PumpKorn Origional (soy sauce, garlic, and pepper) or Go Raw Sprouted Pupkin Seeds (a bag looks expensive but lasts a while so is actually one of the less expensive ones; the sprouted ones seem lighter). Also, if you add just about any squash to a meal you can easily roast the seeds with a bit of salt. Squash and brown rice plus some cabbage family veggie are a good combination. If you pick the lightest squash of a particular size they are more likely to have more seeds.
- kazinator 9y agoI'm surprised the article doesn't mention chlorophyll. You know; the magnesium-based stuff that makes plants green. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_in_biology#Chlorophyll https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_in_biology#Chlorophy...
- vram22 9y agoAre there many nutrients which may be present in good quantity in some food item, but some other chemical in that same food, interferes with the absorption (by the human body) of that nutrient? Thinking of examples like spinach, where it is supposed to contain a lot of calcium, but also has oxalates (or oxalic acid) which interfere with the absorption of the calcium. Or is that a one-off case?