Magnesium - The Final Part of the Puzzle
After one of my talks this week I was chatting to a woman who told me she had recovered from magnesium deficiency. She literally was ticking all the symptoms and it took her some time to get to the bottom of what was wrong....when she did and started eating more magnesium foods and taking a supplement she said in her own words 'it was like a shadow was lifted off me and I became myself again'.
Anyone in Perimenopause might feel this at some point and in my view its important to rule out magnesium as a deficiency on your path to optimum health.
The last article outlined the various types of Magnesium available in supplement form. The two I work with mostly and receive amazing feedback on are - in oral form Magnesium Citrate & Magnesium Bisglycinate and topical - Magnesium Lotion.
Read back over the prior two articles to refresh your mind
In terms of all things, Magnesium - one of the most important points to remember is that Magnesium cannot be absorbed on its own but needs to be combined with another molecule -hence the twinning that you see in all the various sources of Magnesium.
My preference for Magnesium Citrate - firstly it is made up of Magnesium Carbonate that comes from seawater and citric acid from non-GMO Beetroot. When you put your teaspoon of powder into a glass and add water these two ingredients will make ionic magnesium citrate.
The sweet deal here is the absorption this creates in our bodies - it gets transported to our cells nice and fast like on a super-jet!
Dissolving in water too also enhances absorption in the gut.
All minerals (including magnesium) have to be attached to a carrier to be transported into our bodies. The carrier can be an oxide, malate, citrate etc. Now for our bodies to be able to absorb the magnesium it needs to be able to detach (unplug) the magnesium from the 'carrier' eg the citrate and then get that magnesium ion absorbed (plugged) into your body. For a mineral to be ionic, it means there are ions readily available to attach to a carrier.
Let's follow the analogy of the plug/unplugged - some plugs as we know are harder to pull out than others - if we compare this to the mineral world this would equal a 'strong bond'. Magnesium citrate is one of the easier forms to unplug thereby allowing easier absorption. Magnesium Oxide on the other hand is one of the hardest forms to unplug - hence it is not absorbed effectively.
To get all this going and ionize a mineral, an acid is required - this helps your body unplug the magnesium from the citrate so your body can use it - this is where stomach acid comes into play. Magnesium Citrate Powder however is comprised of two ingredients - magnesium carbonate and citric acid and is actually ionized before it hits your stomach - then you add the hot water , the citric acid combines with the magnesium carbonate and the carbonate leaves (this is the fizz part) and you are left with a ionic solution of magnesium citrate - this mean
ALL the magnesium is in the solution
, already 'plugged' from the citrate and ready to 'plug' right into your body!
I have been using this myself for nearly two years and find it fantastic. I get weekly feedback on this too on how great women are finding it, especially for the nervous system and aches & pains.
The key here is to learn and adapt your dosage - I take 1 teaspoon morning and evening and this works for me. Other women might find it stimulating at nighttime and prefer to take 2 teaspoons in the morning - the key is to chop and change and see what works best for you.
Note: Build it up slowly to avoid any small laxative effect.
Some people prefer to take a capsule and want to avoid the possible small laxative effects of
(if you build up slowly you will not get the laxative effect).
So why take this over Magnesium Citrate ?
The glycine in this partnership make for a fantastic attention to your body's nutrients. Glycine is responsible for the following:
Participates in the formation of collagen & elastin
Acts as a neurotransmitter for the Nervous System
Excellent for sleep - encourages REM sleep and thereby ensures a more restorative and restful sleep.
Anti inflammatory & immune boosting properties.
On top of these fantastic benefits you also have the benefits of the magnesium - which as you will have seen from prior articles are vast - reduces tiredness & fatigue, electrolyte balance, muscle function, bones & teeth to name but a few.
Joining these two together creates superior absorption compared to other forms of magnesium. Magnesium Bisglycinate is a magnesium bound to two glycine amino acids with a 'clawlike bond' known as chelation ( like joining a link in a chain). Our bodies are very efficient at absorbing individual amino acids, and the amino acid glycine is the preferred molecule for creating organic chelated minerals. Glycine is readily identified and absorbed across the intestinal wall and glycinate chelates are small enough to transport right into the cells themselves!
Not all labeled chelates ( see more below on Reading your Labels) are true chelates and this can affect absorption and, ultimately, the typically-predictable, positive results. Just mixing a magnesium salt, glycine and hydrolyzed soy protein will not give a true chelated molecule.
I have seen this one work great for women who are having sleep issues, and /or stress and low energy. Also the impact on the nervous system encourages melatonin conversion, aids production of serotonin and dopamine all of which help with anxiety and stress.
Best time to take your Magnesium
For optimal absorption it is best taken away from food - the acid in your stomach is highest at this time and there aids absorption. Dividing the dose throughout the day is key and this is where you need to see what works best for you - remember too how great it is for restless leg syndrome and sleep so taking your second dose at bedtime is very effective for most women.
What is your sweet spot ?
To get to the dose that works best for you takes tweaking - it is best to start low and build up from there. Slowly increase until you see improvements or stop and reduce if you see side effects. Please note this will work with the better forms of magnesium only and will not for example work with magnesium oxide.
Note: If you have any issues with your kidneys you should consult your GP before starting magnesium.
Read your labels
Before you rush into buying your magnesium supplement make sure and read the label. Check for the following:
Magnesium Oxide - Look out for magnesium oxide and my personal view would be return to the shelf if included.
Magnesium Citrate - Be aware too of the difference between citrate and ionic citrate - ionic citrate is what you want the absorption is so much more effective. Capsuled citrate in non-ionic and does not absorb as well as ionic.
Magnesium Glycinatethe maximum you want to see in a capsule is 90mg - Please beware if a capsule states higher than 90mg I would question whether it is bulked up/buffered up with some magnesium oxide, a label might mention the word 'buffered' or may make no reference to it.
Magnesium Asparate- as mentioned not very common here in Europe.
Magnesium Malate - The one often recommended forFibromyalgia. I have not yet worked with a source of this so if anyone has found one I would love to hear more information on it. What I would recommend here is taking PrizMAG and then adding your own supplement of Malic Acid to your daily routine - this will give you the benefit of both and PrizMAG is excellent for the anxiety, sleep and pain that comes with Fibromyalgia.
Magnesium Threonate - Please refer back to the last blog. My preference is using Magnesium Citrate or Magnesium Glycinate and from the people I have worked with the impact on their nervous system and memory/concentration etc shows to me that these two forms work effectively on the nervous system. However if anyone has a particular one to recommend I would love to hear about it (just send me the product details) and I will research it fully.
Topical - Magnesium Chloride, Sulfate. Again read the labels - check how your epsom salts are derived. For magnesium sprays I find these great for Restless Leg Syndrome and also for muscle aches - I will often spray some lotion on at night time after a long run and my calves are feeling somewhat tired!
As you know I am really picky about my supplements and I have to be very honest I get super annoyed when I see marketing ploys and evasive labeling that sets products up to be something they are not. So please take the time and read your labels - Knowledge is Power.
I am beginning to feel like my journey with Magnesium is never ending ...LOL. As I researched this more and more questions come up but probably the biggest one is the relationship with Vitamin D Deficiency and Magnesium and also the Calcium/Magnesium relationship. So there will be more to come!
For now get shopping BUT read those labels !