There are many causes to contemplate taking a magnesium complement, given its lengthy record of well being advantages like boosting bone well being, selling leisure and sleep, serving to forestall 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 most certainly 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 School of Pharmacy.
So, which one do you have to be taking on your wants? Right here’s what consultants must say.
The very best magnesium for abdomen points
There are a pair sorts of magnesium that may assist with GI points, Phillips says. Magnesium hydroxide (often known as milk of magnesia) is understood to assist with indigestion, whereas magnesium citrate might help alleviate constipation, he explains. You could need to keep away from magnesium oxide, which may result in elevated abdomen discomfort and diarrhea, he provides.
The very best magnesium for sleep
Whereas magnesium has established hyperlinks to improved sleep high quality, there may be one type of magnesium that stands out as doubtlessly higher than the remainder: magnesium glycinate. Schonder says that magnesium by itself might help with sleep, however the addition of the amino acid glycine can enhance these calming results, as analysis reveals it additionally helps promote sleep.
A 2017 examine additionally established a hyperlink between diminished signs of melancholy and magnesium glycinate consumption. Nonetheless, Phillips factors out that there nonetheless isn’t a variety of proof in regards to the sleep-boosting and calming results of magnesium glycinate itself, and it must be additional researched.
The very best magnesium for bone well being
Magnesium’s advantages for bone well being are well-researched, however particular varieties could also be higher than others. A 2021 overview reaffirmed that supplementing with magnesium might help forestall osteoporosis and cut back the danger of bone fractures. The examine particularly pointed to magnesium citrate, carbonate, or oxide pretty much as good choices in case you’re seeking to enhance your bone well being, however researchers level out that citrate absorbs higher than oxide within the physique.
Magnesium in your weight loss plan is finest
Regardless of the numerous completely different types that magnesium is available in, in case you’re simply on the lookout for a basic magnesium complement, there isn’t one which’s higher than the opposite, Schonder says. “Loads of them are most likely extra interchangeable than we would suppose,” she tells Fortune, so that you’d be protected with selecting whichever one is accessible to you.
That being stated, Phillips doesn’t suppose everybody must be reaching for a bottle to get their magnesium.
“If any person is instructed they need to get extra magnesium, out of any complement I’d ever advocate, dietary sources are my primary advice,” Phillips tells Fortune.
The very best sources of magnesium embody: complete grains, legumes, bananas, avocados, nuts (particularly almonds), soy merchandise like edamame and tofu, and inexperienced leafy greens.
“These are most likely more healthy methods to complement magnesium,” Schonder says.
Do you really want a complement?
Schonder provides that not everybody who takes magnesium wants it. As at all times, speak to your physician earlier than beginning any complement—Schonder recommends getting a blood check to verify your magnesium ranges earlier than you begin supplementing.
She additionally emphasizes that simply because sure types of magnesium are useful for particular targets, that doesn’t imply you must complement with all of them, nor do you want to.
“Should you’re changing magnesium you don’t want one on your migraines, one on your sleep, one on your bones—one type of magnesium covers you for all of that,” she says.
Should you take extra magnesium than your physique wants, you’ll possible 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 perform ought to keep away from supplementing with magnesium, as this could overwhelm the physique with out the kidneys with the ability to filter it out, Schonder explains.
For these with kidney and coronary heart issues, an excessive amount of magnesium could cause a coronary heart block, Schonder says, which implies “coronary heart tissue can’t conduct electrical impulses the way in which it ought to.”
Older adults could have decreased kidney perform, 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 case 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 finest to keep away from taking them on the identical time.
When selecting a magnesium complement, consultants urge discovering one from a good model to make sure its high quality. “Simply because magnesium is the biggest identify on the bottle, doesn’t imply magnesium is the one ingredient,” Phillips says. The magnesium dietary supplements marketed for sleep, for instance, may additionally include melatonin, he says, which is why you must verify the label carefully.
“Should you’re shopping for a complement, be certain that it’s FDA permitted or USB permitted,” Phillips says. If it’s on a shelf in a retailer, he says, which means it’s possible permitted, versus on-line dietary supplements that is probably not.
For extra on dietary supplements:
- Vitamin D dietary supplements could decrease your danger of colorectal most cancers by as a lot as 58%, in accordance with a brand new examine
- Creatine dietary supplements for enhancing muscular tissues could be a waste of cash, new examine finds
- This gastroenterologist says probiotics are ‘a waste of cash.’ Right here’s what you have to be doing as an alternative
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
