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Magnificent Magnesium

  • Karina
  • Jun 7, 2018
  • 5 min read

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), magnesium is involved with over 300 enzyme systems that help with protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation. Magnesium is not exactly a brand-new supplement, but it has gained popularity over the past few years.

Magnesium can lower blood pressure to a small extent, but a large, well-designed clinical trial is needed to better understand the relationship between magnesium and heart health (NIH). The American Diabetes Association stated that there is not enough evidence to support the routine use of magnesium to improve glycemic control in people with diabetes. Magnesium can enhance bone health, but more research is needed to explain how magnesium can prevent and manage osteoporosis.

Interestingly, as I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, I came across a blogger’s post about taking a magnesium supplement before she sleeps. She claims that magnesium relaxes muscles and reduces stress, however she had no references cited to provide evidence. I thought to myself, “How true is this?” Now we’re here to discuss my investigations.

 

The Research

In the 2012 study by Behnood Abbasi, et. al published in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, the objective was to determine whether magnesium supplementation can improve insomnia in elderly adults. Insomnia is not a consequence of aging, but its incidence increases with age. Nearly 50% of older adults experience insomnia. Magnesium status in older adults is also reduced. A double-blind randomized clinical trial was completed on 43 participants between age 60-75 years old, randomly allocated into the magnesium or placebo group. They received 500 mg magnesium or placebo daily for 8 weeks. The adults had to have clinically moderate or severe insomnia. In the magnesium group, there were significant increases in sleep time, sleep efficiency, and melatonin levels and a decrease of insomnia severity index scores and serum cortisol concentration. These results showed that magnesium supplementation appeared to improve measures of insomnia, improve sleep, and reduce stress levels in elderly people.

In the 2010 study by Forrest Nielsen, et. al published in the journal Magnesium Research, 96 adults were recruited between ages 51-85 years old with poor sleep quality. The aim of this study was to determine if magnesium supplementation improved sleep behavior and if this was associated with a change in inflammatory stress measured by C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations. CRP levels > 1.0 mg/dL indicate inflammatory stress. One factor that may increase inflammatory stress is lack of sleep. This experiment was an 8-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, supplementation trial. The 96 participants were randomly placed into the treatment or placebo group and received 320 mg/day magnesium citrate supplement or placebo. 58% of participants were consuming less than the estimated average requirement for magnesium. 40 participants had plasma CRP concentration higher than 3.0 mg/L at baseline. By the end of the 8 weeks, for both placebo and magnesium group, the global Pittsburg Sleep Quality Score decreased significantly regardless of treatment. 36 of 40 participants who had elevated plasma CRP concentrations showed a decline in their CRP levels. This study showed that elevated CRP, which is an inflammatory stress marker, decreased with magnesium supplementation, but did not definitively show that magnesium status improved sleep quality.

In the 2016 study by Gordana Dmitrašinović et. al published in the Journal of Medical Biochemistry, the goal of the study was to determine, through assessment of plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), serum interleukin 6 (IL-6), and salivary/serum cortisol levels, if chronic magnesium supplementation reduced damaging stress effects in amateur rugby players. Cortisol is a stress hormone controlled by the hypothalamus in the brain, the pituitary gland and the adrenal gland. IL-6 is a hormone that regulates stress response. For the study, 23 rugby players were randomly assigned to placebo or magnesium group and received 500 mg/day of magnesium supplementation or placebo for 4 weeks before a rugby competition. The results showed that there was a statistically significant increase in ACTH concentration in the intervention group compared to placebo group, with reductions in cortisol concentrations in both groups on the day of the competition. The treatment group had lower IL-6 levels compared to the placebo group after the competition. The treatment group had the absence of anticipatory increase in cortisol level on the day before the rugby match, signifying that the magnesium group were less susceptible to anxiety-like behavior before the match. These findings suggest that magnesium could reduce immune response activation of stress hormones after strenuous physical activity.

In the 2017 systemic review on the effects of magnesium on subjective anxiety and stress by Neil Bernard Boyle et. al, 18 studies were reviewed. 4 out of 8 studies in anxious samples, 4 out of 7 studies in premenstrual syndrome (PMS) samples, and 1 out of 2 studies in hypertensive samples reported positive effects of magnesium on anxiety outcomes. For the 4 out of 8 studies in anxious samples and 4 out of 7 studies in PMS samples, the positive effects all administered magnesium with a combination of additional ingredients, such as vitamin B6 and extract of Hawthorn and California poppy.

 

The Take-Home Message

In terms of sleep, for Abbasi et. al’s study, taking a magnesium supplement can be helpful in improving sleep quality. But in Nielsen et. al’s study, magnesium did not show an improvement in sleep quality. More studies need to be conducted to conclude if taking a magnesium supplement can help with symptoms of insomnia.

In terms of stress and anxiety, taking a magnesium supplement may be helpful in reducing inflammatory stress markers. According to the American Academy of Neurology and American Headache Society, there is moderate evidence that magnesium is “probably effective” for migraine prevention. Again, more studies need to be done in order to safely say magnesium can help those with anxiety.

For adults between 19-30 years, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for magnesium is 400 mg for males and 310 mg for females. For adults 31 years or older, the RDA for magnesium is 420 mg for males and 320 mg for females. Magnesium can be found in green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals, and may other foods that contain fiber (NIH). Some examples are 1 ounce of almonds (80 mg of magnesium/serving), ½ cup of boiled spinach (78 mg of magnesium/serving), and 1 cup cubed avocado (44 mg of magnesium/serving). Purchasing a magnesium supplement may not be necessary if you are eating foods rich in magnesium.

 

References

  1. “Office of Dietary Supplements - Magnesium.” NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2 Mar. 2018, ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/

  2. Abbasi, B., Kimiagar, M., Sadeghniiat, K., Shirazi, M. M., Hedayati, M., & Rashidkhani, B. (2012). The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in 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.

  3. Nielsen, F. H., Johnson, L. K., & Zeng H. Magnesium supplementation improves indicators of low magnesium status and inflammatory stress in adults older than 51 years with poor quality sleep. Magnesium Research, 23(4):158-168. doi:10.1684/mrh.2010.0220

  4. Dmitrašinović, G., Pešić, V., Stanić, D., Plećaš-Solarović, B., Dajak, M., & Ignjatović, S. (2016). ACTH, Cortisol and IL-6 Levels in Athletes following Magnesium Supplementation. Journal of Medical Biochemistry, 35(4), 375–384. http://doi.org/10.1515/jomb-2016-0021

  5. “Cortisol.” You and Your Hormones, Society for Endocrinology, Jan. 2017, www.yourhormones.info/hormones/cortisol/.

  6. Boyle, N. B., Lawton, C., & Dye, L. (2017). The Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Subjective Anxiety and Stress—A Systematic Review. Nutrients, 9(5), 429. http://doi.org/10.3390/nu9050429

  7. Holland, S., Silberstein, S. D., Freitag, F., Dodick, D. W., Argoff, C., & Ashman, E. (2012). Evidence-based guideline update: NSAIDs and other complementary treatments for episodic migraine prevention in adults: Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society. Neurology, 78(17), 1346–1353. http://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182535d0c

4th photo from DrAxe.com. Other photos from Wix.com.


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