The Magnesium Lie
There is no doubt in my mind you have been hearing more and more about Magnesium, and different forms of Magnesium and their purported benefits. The growing research and attention placed on Magnesium seems to coincide, or possibly be the catalyst for the uptake in Magnesium purchases. Now, while any uptake in vitamins and minerals within a society in which 90% of people experience some form of inadequacy is not a bad thing, however I assure you it is misguided.
There are simultaneously two separate things happening here, which are of concern.
Magnesium is seen as a “more crucial” nutrient, one perhaps more worthy of our attention than let’s say Manganese, Zinc, Iodine or Selenium.
Different forms of Magnesium are being touted as providing different benefits to the body. For example Magnesium L-Threonate for brain health, and Magnesium Bisglycinate for insomnia.
What I have come to realize in my two decades as a clinical nutritionist, and orthomolecular researcher is that most people do not understand what vitamins and minerals actually are, nor do they understand how they function within the body. Sure, there is a general understanding that we need them, as they are labeled essential, and that they do different things within the body - but this definition and understanding fails to provide any framework for understanding how they are utilized or which ones we need at which times.
It is important to note that while these are indeed 2 separate concerns they are closely related.
Most people have heard that Magnesium is required for 300+ enzymatic reactions within the body, and then conclude that Magnesium is extremely important and perhaps they should take some. The problem is that all vitamins and minerals are essential, and none are more important than any other. To put it simply, the most important vitamin and mineral for YOU, is the one you are most lacking. Since vitamins and minerals work synergistically they are only as effective as their least supplied component. There is no evidence to suggest that people should be focusing more on Magnesium than Potassium or Vitamin K, or any other nutrient.
When looking at the evidence, specifically those studies conducted by the CDC which measure the levels of vitamins and minerals consumed by actual people, the nutrient which is most widely lacking is Potassium. More people lack Potassium than any other nutrient, although most people lack many nutrients.
When you are choosing supplements the only thing that matters is which nutrients you are lacking, and those should be the ones you purchase. Not what someone online said is good, or what someone else takes. It only matters that you are filling in your largest gaps first. This will have the most profound impact on your health, without exception. If you purchase Magnesium you need to question whether you are deficient and if so by how much? How are you determining the dose which is appropriate to fill in your gap? When you understand that this is how nutrients work you understand that the recommendations of most people are purely speculation as they have no way of understanding your unique nutrient levels or needs.
Now, while it is true that very few people maintain completely optimal vitamin and mineral levels at all times, and that most people would benefit from taking any vitamins or minerals, we must recognize that there is a unique amount which would be optimal for our unique bodies.
This amount is the amount from which all biochemical and physiological processes which depend on that nutrient are fulfilled. If Magnesium is required for 300+ enzymatic reactions, the amount you take must allow for your body to have sufficient supplies to complete all of these 300+ reactions. That is to say, if you have 300 clocks in your house and they all require 2 batteries, you need 600 batteries for all of those clocks to function properly. If you only have 400 batteries, some of these clocks (or vitamin functions) simply will not work.
The question becomes, how much does YOUR body need? Since the nutrient requirements for a 120 lbs secretary would vary greatly from the needs of a 300 lbs football player, and since many factors (not just body size) influence nutrient requirements, your own requirements for a given nutrient can change drastically from one day to the next. If you go for a 5 mile run one day, you are going to use more nutrients than a day where you sit on the couch watching Netflix - this is just an obvious reality that most people don’t consider.
Well if we go back to the clock example, let’s say that the number of clocks change everyday, or some are utilizing their batteries at a faster rate, how do we know how many batteries to supply? The simple answer is that you can count how many clocks are not working; if you know how many have run out of batteries (nutrients) it’s easy to calculate how deficient in batteries you are.
The same thing can be done for nutrients. Since we know the physiological roles of every nutrient, we can determine whether or not they are all functioning properly, to help us determine if we are meeting our requirements for a given nutrient. If some of the clocks that depend on Magnesium are not working, we know we need more Magnesium. Most people just aren’t aware of these processes and the symptoms associated with their inefficiencies. This requires a complex system which surveys a person's symptoms against the pool of clinically documented symptoms of vitamin inadequacy as observed in clinical trials. A topic for another blog.
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The next problem is that people are sharing information that suggests different forms of Magnesium will perform different tasks within your body, or that different forms have unique benefits from other forms.
It's important to recognize that the body's utilization of nutrients is complex and influenced by various factors, including absorption, metabolism, and tissue-specific needs. While different forms of magnesium may have varying bioavailability and effects on the body, the overall impact on health outcomes may not always be straightforward or easily predictable, as other “experts” would have you believe.
Additionally, claims about benefits of specific forms of nutrients often stem from preliminary research, animal studies, or theoretical considerations, and may not always translate into significant clinical benefits in humans.
Let me simplify it all for you. Magnesium supplements are capable of one thing, correcting Magnesium deficiency. When correcting a deficiency we observe various degrees and forms of symptomatic alleviation, that is benefits. One side effect of Magnesium inadequacy is insomnia, and thus people may say that Magnesium helps you sleep. Another symptom of Magnesium inadequacy is constipation, therefore people suggest Magnesium will help you pass bowels.
In reality, when nourished properly your body will sleep properly, and when nourished properly your body will pass bowels properly. Magnesium can not be said to be good for any specific therapeutic benefit because this does not hold true unless you have an inadequacy. If you have optimal levels of magnesium in your body, taking more will not improve sleep, you already have optimal amounts to fulfill the enzymatic requirements. Adding more will only cause your body to excrete it.
Adding on to this understanding you must next recognize that when you have a deficiency, the body innately routes nutrients to where they are most critically needed. Much like when you are out in the cold and your body routes blood to the vital organs and away from the extremities, your body's innate systems are there to keep you alive and that is all. Your body will sacrifice your fingers to frostbite, in order to allow the body to survive. However if you stay out in the cold for long enough, you will eventually die. This is precisely why the more deficient you are, the more severe the symptoms become, and in extreme cases or total depletion yes you can also die from nutrient depletion. If you are a little deficient maybe you get constipated, when you are fully depleted you begin to have heart problems. Your body keeps you alive by prioritizing the flow of nutrients to where they are most critically needed.
If you understand that you can now look at something like Magnesium L-threonate and understand why it will not magically provide you with better brain health. If you are deficient your body will send the magnesium to where it is most critically needed, it will not bypass more critical areas and send it to your brain simply because you took a different form - it makes no sense and is completely fabricated.
Imagine experiencing symptoms of Magnesium inadequacy, in this case constipation, and taking Magnesium bisglycinate or l-threonate and having zero relief because those forms are being diverted to other areas..? The magnesium supplement will help restore overall magnesium levels, and the body will decide where it goes. Imagine for example that you need 1400mg of Magnesium per day, but you have only been getting 1200mg so since this is just a minor inadequacy you start suffering from headaches, as the body maintains all other functions which are more critical for your survival. You decide to take Magnesium bisglycinate at 300mg daily, now you are taking 1500mg when the body needs 1400mg. Do you not think your headaches would go away? Of course they would, because you have fulfilled your body's demands for Magnesium and all of the processes and functions for which it is essential. It doesn’t matter if someone tells you bisglycinate is good for insomnia, you must recognize that at its core it is magnesium, an essential mineral that the body requires for hundreds of processes. You can also imagine consuming zero magnesium in your diet and only supplementing with Magnesium l-threonate. This means there is no Magnesium going into your body aside from l-threonate form, are you supposed to believe that none of that would go to your 300+ enzymatic reactions and would only go to your brain? It is utterly absurd and there is absolutely no science to support this notion.
Just because people say a form of Magnesium is good for ______ does not make it true. The body will prioritize where nutrients go and they will be used to correct deficiency. Do not be fooled into thinking one form is good for one purpose and another form will have a different use within the body.
If you have a health symptom caused by a nutritional gap, if you fill the gap the symptom will disappear, the form does not matter. I cannot state it any more plainly than that.
