
There are many causes to think about taking a magnesium complement, given its lengthy listing of health benefits like boosting bone well being, selling leisure and sleep, serving to stop migraines, and supporting cardiovascular well being, to call a number of.
However do you know that there are over 10 various kinds of magnesium? These variations come from including various kinds of compounds (like salts and amino acids) added to magnesium, says Kristine Schonder, affiliate professor of pharmacy and therapeutics on the College of Pittsburgh.
Those you’re more than likely to come back throughout in drug shops are magnesium glycinate, citrate, chloride, oxide, hydroxide, and sulfate (epsom salts), says Bradley Phillips, medical assistant professor on the College of Florida Faculty of Pharmacy.
So, which one do you have to be taking to your wants? Right here’s what specialists should say.
The perfect magnesium for abdomen points
There are a pair forms of magnesium that may assist with GI points, Phillips says. Magnesium hydroxide (also called milk of magnesia) is thought to assist with indigestion, whereas magnesium citrate may help alleviate constipation, he explains. It’s possible you’ll need to keep away from magnesium oxide, which might result in elevated abdomen discomfort and diarrhea, he provides.
The perfect magnesium for sleep
Whereas magnesium has established links to improved sleep high quality, there’s one type of magnesium that stands out as probably higher than the remaining: magnesium glycinate. Schonder says that magnesium by itself may help with sleep, however the addition of the amino acid glycine can enhance these calming results, as research shows it additionally helps promote sleep.
A 2017 study additionally established a hyperlink between diminished signs of despair and magnesium glycinate consumption. Nevertheless, Phillips factors out that there nonetheless shouldn’t be numerous proof concerning the sleep-boosting and calming results of magnesium glycinate itself, and it must be additional researched.
The perfect magnesium for bone well being
Magnesium’s advantages for bone well being are well-researched, however particular sorts could also be higher than others. A 2021 review reaffirmed that supplementing with magnesium may help stop osteoporosis and cut back the danger of bone fractures. The research particularly pointed to magnesium citrate, carbonate, or oxide nearly as good choices in the event you’re trying to enhance your bone well being, however researchers level out that citrate absorbs higher than oxide within the physique.
Magnesium in your food regimen is greatest
Regardless of the numerous totally different kinds that magnesium is available in, in the event you’re simply searching for a common magnesium complement, there isn’t one which’s higher than the opposite, Schonder says. “Plenty of them are in all probability extra interchangeable than we would suppose,” she tells Fortune, so that you’d be secure with selecting whichever one is obtainable to you.
That being mentioned, Phillips doesn’t suppose everybody must be reaching for a bottle to get their magnesium.
“If anyone is instructed they need to get extra magnesium, out of any complement I might ever suggest, dietary sources are my primary suggestion,” Phillips tells Fortune.
The perfect sources of magnesium embrace: entire grains, legumes, bananas, avocados, nuts (particularly almonds), soy merchandise like edamame and tofu, and inexperienced leafy greens.
“These are in all probability more healthy methods to complement magnesium,” Schonder says.
Do you actually need a complement?
Schonder provides that not everybody who takes magnesium wants it. As all the time, discuss to your physician earlier than beginning any complement—Schonder recommends getting a blood check to test your magnesium ranges earlier than you begin supplementing.
She additionally emphasizes that simply because sure types of magnesium are useful for particular objectives, that doesn’t imply you need to complement with all of them, nor do you’ll want to.
“In the event you’re changing magnesium you don’t want one to your migraines, one to your sleep, one to your bones—one type of magnesium covers you for all of that,” she says.
In the event you take extra magnesium than your physique wants, you’ll probably simply pee it out, Schonder says, however there are some individuals who ought to keep away from it.
Who ought to keep away from magnesium?
Anybody with coronary heart issues, kidney illness, or decreased kidney operate ought to keep away from supplementing with magnesium, as this will overwhelm the physique with out the kidneys having the ability to filter it out, Schonder explains.
For these with kidney and coronary heart issues, an excessive amount of magnesium may cause a coronary heart block, Schonder says, which suggests “coronary heart tissue can’t conduct electrical impulses the way in which it ought to.”
Older adults could have decreased kidney operate, which is why Schonder recommends expressing warning when supplementing. Antacids, for instance, additionally include magnesium, so you would be overdoing it on magnesium unknowingly in the event you take a complement and antacid collectively.
Moreover, Phillips and Schonder warn that magnesium can work together with antibiotics and make them much less efficient, so it’s greatest to keep away from taking them on the identical time.
When selecting a magnesium complement, specialists urge discovering one from a good model to make sure its high quality. “Simply because magnesium is the most important identify on the bottle, doesn’t imply magnesium is the one ingredient,” Phillips says. The magnesium dietary supplements marketed for sleep, for instance, might additionally include melatonin, he says, which is why you need to test the label intently.
“In the event you’re shopping for a complement, be sure it’s FDA accepted or USB accepted,” Phillips says. If it’s on a shelf in a retailer, he says, meaning it’s probably accepted, versus on-line dietary supplements that might not be.
For extra on dietary supplements:
- Vitamin D dietary supplements could lower your risk of colorectal cancer by as much as 58%, in response to a brand new research
- Creatine dietary supplements for enhancing muscle tissues might be a waste of money, new study finds
- This gastroenterologist says probiotics are ‘a waste of money.’ Right here’s what you ought to be doing as an alternative
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
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