MAGNESIUM
Ingredient
What is Magnesium?
Where does it come from?
Why is it used?
What are the benefits?
Bibliography
What is Magnesium?
function properly without it (Gröber et al., 2015) This nutrient is essential for hundreds of metabolic processes and many other functions
important bodily functions, from energy production to building important proteins (from Baaij and
al., 2015)
Where does it come from?
Legumes, nuts, seeds, and green leafy vegetables are considered dietary sources of magnesium. Meat and fish contain small amounts.
However, despite its importance, studies show that almost 50% of people in Europe and the United States do not consume enough of this essential mineral (DiNicolantonio et al., 2018; Gröber et al., 2015)
Additionally, low levels of magnesium are linked to a number of health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease (Gröber et al., 2015).
Why is it used?
• May help lower blood pressure
Taking magnesium supplements may help reduce blood pressure levels (Romani, 2018) Studies show that people with high blood pressure may see improvements when taking supplements of this mineral (Banjanin & Belojevic, 2018 ; Dibaba et al., 2017)
In fact, a review of 34 studies concluded that taking about 350 mg daily of magnesium for an average of 3 months significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (the top number) by 2 mm Hg and blood pressure. diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) of 1.78 mm Hg (X. Zhang et al., 2016). Similarly, a review of 7 studies associated taking a magnesium supplement of 300 mg or more daily for at least 12 weeks with a 5.78 mm Hg drop in systolic blood pressure and 2.5 mm Hg of diastolic blood pressure in participants with type 2 diabetes (Asbaghi et al.,
2021)
• May reduce the risk of heart disease
Low magnesium levels have been associated with an increased risk of heart disease (Rosique-Esteban et al., 2018; Wu et al., 2017)
This could be because low levels of this mineral have a negative effect on heart disease risk factors such as blood sugar and blood pressure (Rosique-Esteban et al., 2018) A recent review of 28 studies found that magnesium supplements had a positive effect on certain risk factors for heart disease in people with type 2 diabetes by reducing blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and fasting blood sugar (Verma & Garg, 2017 ). Therefore, taking magnesium supplements may help reduce risk factors for heart disease, especially in people who are deficient (Tangvoraphonkchai & Davenport, 2018)
• May improve migraine
Low levels of magnesium have been associated with migraine, a condition characterized by intense and recurrent headaches (Gröber et al., 2015)
A 12-week study found that migraine sufferers who took a daily supplement containing 600 mg of magnesium had 42% fewer migraine attacks, and those attacks were less intense (Gaul et al., 2015). Another review of 5 studies showed that treating migraine with 600 mg of magnesium (a high dose) was safe and effective (von Luckner & Riederer, 2018).
• May improve sleep
Magnesium plays an important role in sleep. People with low magnesium levels are more likely to have sleep problems, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, and magnesium supplements have been shown to improve sleep. A review of three studies in older adults found that supplementing magnesium with 320-720 mg daily for up to eight weeks reduced the time it takes to fall asleep and increased the total duration of sleep. sleep versus placebo ((Mah & Pitre, 2021)
Other studies have found similar results, showing that magnesium supplementation can help people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer; especially older adults (Abbasi et al., 2012; Y. Zhang et al., 2021)
• May improve mood
Some studies have linked low magnesium levels to depression, and researchers suspect that magnesium supplementation may help treat this condition (Serefko et al., 2016). A 6-week randomized controlled trial including participants with depression found that 500 mg of magnesium daily reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety in just 2 weeks (Barragán-Rodríguez et al., 2008)
Another 6-week study in 126 people with mild to moderate depression found that those who took 248 mg daily of magnesium in addition to their normal medication reported significant improvement in symptoms of depression (Tarleton et al., 2017)
• May be beneficial for blood sugar management
Magnesium plays an important role in insulin and glucose metabolism. Many people with type 2 diabetes – a condition that impacts blood sugar levels – also have magnesium deficiency (Gröber et al., 2015)
This is partly because high blood sugar or insulin levels can increase the amount of this nutrient you lose through urine (Barbagallo & Dominguez, 2015)
It has been suggested that taking magnesium supplements can improve insulin resistance, a metabolic problem in which your cells don’t respond properly to insulin. Insulin is an important hormone that helps regulate blood sugar. Thus, improving insulin resistance may support better blood sugar management, especially in people with diabetes.
In a review of 25 studies, people with or at risk of type 2 diabetes who took 250–600 mg of magnesium daily for up to 24 weeks experienced reductions significant fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels compared to the placebo group (Solati et al., 2014)
Another study found that taking magnesium supplements for more than 4 months had a beneficial effect on insulin sensitivity and blood sugar management (Simental-Mendía et al., 2016). Although more research is needed, magnesium supplements appear to be effective in helping stabilize blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes (Barbagallo & Dominguez, 2015)
What are the benefits?
This ingredient is used in:
Discover other plants used in our products
Calcium
Iron
Copper
Chrome
magnesium
Bibliography
1. Abbasi, B., Kimiagar, M., Sadeghniiat, K., Shirazi, MM, Hedayati, M., & Rashidkhani, B. (2012). The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in the elderly: A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences: The Official Journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 17(12), 1161-1169.
2. Asbaghi, O., Hosseini, R., Boozari, B., Ghaedi, E., Kashkooli, S., & Moradi, S. (2021). The Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Blood Pressure and Obesity Measure Among Type 2 Diabetes Patient: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Biological Trace Element Research, 199(2), 413-424. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02157-0
3. Banjanin, N., & Belojevic, G. (2018). Changes of Blood Pressure and Hemodynamic Parameters after Oral Magnesium Supplementation in Patients with Essential Hypertension-An Intervention Study. Nutrients, 10(5), E581. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10050581
4. Barbagallo, M., & Dominguez, LJ (2015). Magnesium and type 2 diabetes. World Journal of Diabetes, 6(10), 1152-1157. https://doi.org/10.4239/wjd.v6.i10.1152
5. Barragán-Rodríguez, L., Rodríguez-Morán, M., & Guerrero-Romero, F. (2008). Efficacy and safety of oral magnesium supplementation in the treatment of depression in the elderly with type 2 diabetes: A randomized, equivalent trial . Magnesium Research, 21(4), 218-223.
6. de Baaij, JHF, Hoenderop, JGJ, & Bindels, RJM (2015). Magnesium in man: Implications for health and disease. Physiological Reviews, 95(1), 1-46. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00012.2014
7. Dibaba, DT, Xun, P., Song, Y., Rosanoff, A., Shechter, M., & He, K. (2017). The effect of magnesium supplementation on blood pressure in individuals with insulin resistance, prediabetes, or noncommunicable chronic diseases: A meta- analysis of randomized controlled trials . The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 106(3), 921-929. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.117.155291
8. DiNicolantonio, JJ, O’Keefe, JH, & Wilson, W. (2018). Subclinical magnesium deficiency: A principal driver of cardiovascular disease and a public health crisis. open-heart, 5(1), e000668. https://doi.org/10.1136/openhrt-2017-000668
9. Gaul, C., Diener, H.-C., Danesch, U., & Migravent® Study Group. (2015). Improvement of migraine symptoms with a proprietary supplement containing riboflavin, magnesium and Q10: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter trial . The Journal of Headache and Pain, 16, 516. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-015-0516-6
10. Gröber, U., Schmidt, J., & Kisters, K. (2015). Magnesium in Prevention and Therapy. Nutrients, 7(9), 8199-8226. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu7095388
11. Mah, J., & Pitre, T. (2021). Oral magnesium supplementation for insomnia in older adults: A Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 21(1), 125. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-021-03297-z
12. Romani, AMP (2018). Beneficial Role of Mg2+ in Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension. International Journal of Hypertension, 2018, 9013721. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9013721
13. Rosique-Esteban, N., Guasch-Ferré, M., Hernández-Alonso, P., & Salas-Salvadó, J. (2018). Dietary Magnesium and Cardiovascular Disease: A Review with Emphasis in Epidemiological Studies. Nutrients, 10(2), 168. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10020168
14. Serefko, A., Szopa, A., & Poleszak, E. (2016). Magnesium and depression. Magnesium Research, 29(3), 112-119. https://doi.org/10.1684/mrh.2016.0407
15. Simental-Mendía, LE, Sahebkar, A., Rodríguez-Morán, M., & Guerrero-Romero, F. (2016). A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on the effects of magnesium supplementation on insulin sensitivity and glucose control . Pharmacological Research, 111, 272-282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2016.06.019
16. Solati, M., Ouspid, E., Hosseini, S., Soltani, N., Keshavarz, M., & Dehghani, M. (2014). Oral magnesium supplementation in type II diabetic patients. Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 28, 67.
17. Tangvoraphonkchai, K., & Davenport, A. (2018). Magnesium and Cardiovascular Disease. Advances in Chronic Kidney Disease, 25(3), 251-260. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.ackd.2018.02.010
18. Tarleton, EK, Littenberg, B., MacLean, CD, Kennedy, AG, & Daley, C. (2017). Role of magnesium supplementation in the treatment of depression: A randomized clinical trial . PloS One, 12(6), e0180067. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180067
19. Verma, H., & Garg, R. (2017). Effect of magnesium supplementation on type 2 diabetes associated cardiovascular risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics: The Official Journal of the British Dietetic Association, 30(5), 621-633. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12454
20. von Luckner, A., & Riederer, F. (2018). Magnesium in Migraine Prophylaxis-Is There an Evidence-Based Rationale? HAS Systematic Review . Headache, 58(2), 199-209. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.13217
21. Wu, J., Xun, P., Tang, Q., Cai, W., & He, K. (2017). Circulating magnesium levels and incidence of coronary heart diseases, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies . Nutrition Journal, 16, 60. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-017-0280-3
22. Zhang, X., Li, Y., Del Gobbo, LC, Rosanoff, A., Wang, J., Zhang, W., & Song, Y. (2016). Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Blood Pressure: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trials . Hypertension (Dallas, Tex.: 1979), 68(2), 324-333. https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.116.07664
23. Zhang, Y., Chen, C., Lu, L., Knuston, K., Carnethon, M., Fly, A., Luo, J., Haas, D., Shikany, J., & Kahe, K. (2021). Association of Magnesium Intake With Sleep Duration and Sleep Quality: Findings From the CARDIA Study. Current Developments in Nutrition, 5(Suppl 2), 1109. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzab053_102
