#087 The Science of Magnesium and Its Role in Aging and Disease | Dr. Rhonda Patrick

Clinical research on organic magnesium salts—so these include magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate, magnesium taurate... magnesium malate is also in there—these organic salt forms of magnesium are generally more bioavailable and effectively raise plasma magnesium levels compared to inorganic forms of magnesium, like magnesium oxide, magnesium chloride magnesium sulfate...

There were similar results or outcomes found when the impact of short-term—so this is a 1-day—and also a long term, which would be like a month of sleep deprivation—on magnesium levels was examined. So this was done in healthy men, and both short-term and long-term sleep deprivation causes reduction in magnesium red blood cells.

I'm not going to say that magnesium supplementation will not improve sleep, but I will say there is not strong evidence that magnesium supplementation will improve sleep.

There have been a range of studies that have found that stress exposure, things that are stressful and are known to increase cortisol/adrenaline, can influence magnesium levels both in blood and urine. So for example, young adults undergoing persistent or even intermittent stress, like, for example, anticipating a military conflict, they experienced substantial decreases in their overall and plasma magnesium concentrations over three months.

Magnesium has been linked to the development and progression of various age-related brain disorders. Higher cerebral magnesium levels have been shown to decrease oxidative stress and inflammation and improve synaptic plasticity, also counteract other mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration ... Individuals with Alzheimer's disease also have significantly lower plasma magnesium levels compared to healthy controls.

There was a comprehensive meta-analysis involving 34 different randomized controlled trials—there was over 2,000 participants—and researchers discovered that magnesium supplementation at an average dose of 368 mg per day notably lowers both systolic and diastolic blood pressures.

Alcohol can increase the rate at which the body excretes magnesium despite normal absorption rates in the gut, because it acts like a diuretic, so it leads to increased urine production and then losses of magnesium through urine...

For optimal bioavailability of magnesium supplements, it's also generally more effective to take the total daily dose in divided smaller amounts rather than a single large dose.

Magnesium threonate is not the best option for meeting daily magnesium needs as outlined by the RDA. It shouldn't be included as contributing to your recommended daily allowance of magnesium, and that is because magnesium threonate contains a very low amount of elemental magnesium.

The stress response that your body experiences involves the production of hormones, stress hormones, like adrenaline, cortisol. Those stress hormones can potentially lead to a reduction or depletion of magnesium levels in the body. So these hormones are released during times of stress, and then your body uses up more magnesium to try to help manage the stress reactions...

The effective magnesium dose for preventing migraines seems to be around 600 milligrams per day, which is almost twice the suggested upper limit. To minimize gastrointestinal discomfort, I think it's advisable to divide the dose into smaller amounts, such as 200 mg taken three times throughout the day.

But what was even more striking about that study, was that for every 100 mg per day decrease in magnesium intake, there was an increase, a 24% increase, in pancreatic cancer incidence.

That study found that men with the highest magnesium levels, that was associated with a 40% lower all-cause mortality and a 50% decrease in cancer death compared to those with the lowest magnesium levels.

Adequate magnesium intake early in life really, honestly, is like an investment in your long-term bone health ... If you are getting enough magnesium from your diet and supplemental sources, your body's not going to have to pull on the magnesium from your bones to get it, what it needs.

High intake of magnesium, whether from the diet or supplements or both, is linked to a lower risk of having low levels of vitamin D.

Higher dietary magnesium consumption—this was about 500 mg per day—seemed to correlate with larger gray matter and hippocampal volumes than the average intake of about 350 mg per day, which is actually closer to the RDA.

Dietary magnesium intake was linked to a significantly lower risk of both all-cause mortality and cancer mortality. So specifically, for every additional 100 milligrams per day of dietary magnesium, there was a 6% reduction in all-cause mortality and a 5% reduction in cancer mortality...

Athletes and those that are have high physical activity, including people that are also regular sauna users, may need additionally about 10-20% above the recommended dietary allowance [of magnesium] due to their greater magnesium loss through urine and sweat.

In humans, it's been found that even an increase up to 300% in blood magnesium results in less than 19% change in the cerebral spinal fluid magnesium content.

There were five randomized controlled trials that indicate that magnesium supplementation can effectively reduce the frequency and intensity of migraine relapses.