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Magnesium benefits
by deepdiver, Dec 23, 2008 02:50PM
Magnesium benefits? Where should we start? With reduced risk of cognitive decline? Or maybe…
* Promotion of strong bones in postmenopausal women
* Heart health support
* Management of C-reactive protein (a key marker of inflammation)
* Maintenance of tooth enamel
Clearly, magnesium is a nutrient you don't want to get caught short on. Especially because magnesium has an important type 2 diabetes connection, which in turn has a gallstone connection.
And just ask anyone who's had them – you don't want gallstones.
All too easy
A meta-analysis of seven large magnesium/diabetes studies from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Six of the studies found a significant link between high magnesium intake and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. And the sources of magnesium (either from diet or supplements combined with diet) were equally effective.
The Karolinska team found that diabetes risk dropped by 15 percent for every 100 mg increase in magnesium intake.
Unfortunately, magnesium deficiency can develop all too easily. Menstruation, prolonged stress, a high intake of starches, alcohol, diuretics and some prescription drugs (such as antibiotics) have all been shown to reduce magnesium levels.
In the February 2008 issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology, researchers at the University of Kentucky Medical Center noted that low magnesium levels have been associated with high insulin concentrations. They write: "Chronic hypersecretion of insulin, a feature of insulin resistance, may increase the cholesterol saturation index in the bile, and thus may facilitate gallstone formation."
Magnesium deficiency may also increase gallstone risk by raising triglyceride levels while lowering HDL cholesterol levels.
Gallstone risk assessment
To investigate the effect of long-term magnesium intake on the risk of gallstone disease, the Kentucky team (in collaboration with Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the National Cancer Institute) launched a study to follow magnesium intake and medical records for more than 42,000 men.
RESULTS:
* 2,195 cases of gallstones were diagnosed over an average follow up period of 13 years
* The average magnesium intake was about 353 mg per day
* The highest magnesium intake was 454 mg per day
* The lowest magnesium intake was 262 mg per day
* Men with the highest intake were nearly 30 percent less likely to develop gallstones compared to men with the lowest intake
* Men with the highest intake from dietary sources alone were 32 percent less likely to develop gallstones
Studies have shown that the average adult doesn't get the RDA of magnesium, which is 420 mg for men and 320 mg for women. DR. S. M.D., recommends 500 mg of magnesium per day, with the added note that magnesium gluconate and chelated magnesium are the preferred supplement forms. Talk to your doctor before adding a magnesium supplement to your daily regimen.
Dietary sources of magnesium include leafy green vegetables, avocados, nuts, and whole grains.
* Promotion of strong bones in postmenopausal women
* Heart health support
* Management of C-reactive protein (a key marker of inflammation)
* Maintenance of tooth enamel
Clearly, magnesium is a nutrient you don't want to get caught short on. Especially because magnesium has an important type 2 diabetes connection, which in turn has a gallstone connection.
And just ask anyone who's had them – you don't want gallstones.
All too easy
A meta-analysis of seven large magnesium/diabetes studies from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Six of the studies found a significant link between high magnesium intake and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. And the sources of magnesium (either from diet or supplements combined with diet) were equally effective.
The Karolinska team found that diabetes risk dropped by 15 percent for every 100 mg increase in magnesium intake.
Unfortunately, magnesium deficiency can develop all too easily. Menstruation, prolonged stress, a high intake of starches, alcohol, diuretics and some prescription drugs (such as antibiotics) have all been shown to reduce magnesium levels.
In the February 2008 issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology, researchers at the University of Kentucky Medical Center noted that low magnesium levels have been associated with high insulin concentrations. They write: "Chronic hypersecretion of insulin, a feature of insulin resistance, may increase the cholesterol saturation index in the bile, and thus may facilitate gallstone formation."
Magnesium deficiency may also increase gallstone risk by raising triglyceride levels while lowering HDL cholesterol levels.
Gallstone risk assessment
To investigate the effect of long-term magnesium intake on the risk of gallstone disease, the Kentucky team (in collaboration with Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the National Cancer Institute) launched a study to follow magnesium intake and medical records for more than 42,000 men.
RESULTS:
* 2,195 cases of gallstones were diagnosed over an average follow up period of 13 years
* The average magnesium intake was about 353 mg per day
* The highest magnesium intake was 454 mg per day
* The lowest magnesium intake was 262 mg per day
* Men with the highest intake were nearly 30 percent less likely to develop gallstones compared to men with the lowest intake
* Men with the highest intake from dietary sources alone were 32 percent less likely to develop gallstones
Studies have shown that the average adult doesn't get the RDA of magnesium, which is 420 mg for men and 320 mg for women. DR. S. M.D., recommends 500 mg of magnesium per day, with the added note that magnesium gluconate and chelated magnesium are the preferred supplement forms. Talk to your doctor before adding a magnesium supplement to your daily regimen.
Dietary sources of magnesium include leafy green vegetables, avocados, nuts, and whole grains.
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why does some supplement combine calcium and magnesium? does it really help in faster absorption?
Magnesium is an electrolyte, and as such must be in balance with the other electrolytes, which include calcium, potassium, sodium, etc. It most commonly is interfered with in the US by excess calcium intake. A past posting claimed that magnesium should be taken alone, but there are an awful lot of studies showing absorption in supplements that combine minerals, so I don't know about that. Most people take it, in normal circumstances, in a ratio of 2 parts calcium to 1 part magnesium, to wit, 500mg of calcium to 250 of magnesium. If you feel you need extra magnesium for a special purpose, for example heart problems or muscle cramps, then you can take it in a one to one ration or even 2:1 magnesium to calcium. The reason it's usually combined with calcium is their symbiotic relationship in the bones: calcium on one side in electrical balance with magnesium on the other. An excess of either will leach out the other, leaving the bones weaker. The best forms are considered citrate or malate.
I'm kind of frustrated with getting the calcium supplements in, because the magnesium definitely helps the IBS-C, but as soon as I add the calcium back into my regimen, the constipation returns. It's pretty clear that I do need the magnesium, since it does at least help with the IBS-C. I know I should have the calcium in my regimen, but it's hard to get the right balance here.
I'm still not getting rid of the migraines yet, though. My neurologist told me to take 400 to 800 mg of magnesium and says that there is no evidence that more than this is beneficial. Well, the magnesium citrate that I'm taking comes in 250 mg capsules, so that means that three of them equals 750 mg. If I take 1,000 mg magnesium, I do get diarrhea. The naturopath did say that a person could take as much as 2,000 mg of magnesium, but I'm afraid of excessive amounts of anything. I'm kind of frustrated at trying to figure out the right amount of calcium to magnesium. I could see that 500 mg of magnesium is clearly not the right amount for me.
So, what would be a good amount of magnesium and calcium to take at separate times, so that I'll get the calcium into the mix? I recognize that I should be taking both. But, right now my neurologist wants me to concentrate on taking the magnesium, because I have chronic migraines--as in everyday.
I hope no one thought that when I mentioned something about this before that it meant not taking calcium at all, because that's certainly not what I had intended to say. I was simply repeating what my neurologist told me to do--taking the two minerals at separate times of the day, like an hour or two apart--that's all. I do have the citrate form of both minerals.
Paxiled,
It is absorbed in the skin, just like topical medications. come on, now!!
I am not going to argue the point. It can be verified with a little research. Not to mention the fact that people recommend a soak in epsoms salt for sore tired muscles. That is because magnesium works as a muscle relaxer.