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Magnesium is quite the power horse when it comes to our health and for me personally, it has had the most profound effect on both my mental and physical well-being. Several doctors have based their careers on this mineral and advocating for the numerous ways it affects our bodies and heals chronic conditions.
Magnesium is responsible for over 300 chemical reactions in our bodies, meaning deficiencies can show up in numerous ways, including: depression, adrenal fatigue, anxiety, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fatigue, headaches, heart disease, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, kidney disease, migraines, osteoporosis, PMS, restless leg syndrome, muscle pain and spasms, and more! This means that supplementing with magnesium may help with more than just depression. (I’ve noticed a big difference with my migraines – meaning none in several years! – and my bone health).
It is estimated that 70-80% of the population is deficient in magnesium. In general, this is due to poor soil quality where our food is grown, the removal of minerals from drinking water, and the increased consumption of processed foods. Other contributors to decreased magnesium absorption include antacids, diuretics, caffeine, alcohol, intensive workouts and sweating, prescription drugs, high sugar diets, and stress.
How magnesium helps depression
Magnesium is responsible for so many different processes in our body that there are multiples ways in which it can affect depression. Here are a few:
- Neurotransmitters & Serotonin: Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that allow signals to take place between our 100 billion neurons, and is how our brain and body communicate with each other. We have many neurotransmitters, with serotonin often being the one targeted for depression relief. Just as we we need vitamin C and folate in order for our body to make serotonin, we also need magnesium. Without enough magnesium our body isn’t able to make and release adequate levels of serotonin, which can lead to depression, anxiety, fatigue, poor appetite, and insomnia. The highest concentrations of magnesium are in the heart, brain, bones, and teeth, which should serve as an indication of how important this mineral is to these organs and our skeletal system.
- Adrenal Glands and Stress: Magnesium also supports our adrenal glands, which produce hormones that regulate our metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, and our response to stress. When we are constantly stressed (and who isn’t?!) we need more magnesium to correctly regulate these hormones and our stress response. Without magnesium we can have excess stress hormones which can lead to depression.
- Energy Production: Magnesium helps metabolize all the nutrients you eat into energy.
- Sleep: Magnesium helps us sleep better by relaxing our muscles, reducing restless leg syndrome, and regulating GABA, a neurotransmitter that helps promote sleep.
How magnesium works with other nutrients
It’s important to recognize that vitamins and minerals work in conjunction with one another. Here are a few that work with magnesium and may help you understand if you want to try supplementing with magnesium:
Calcium: Magnesium dissolves calcium, keeps it in the blood, and helps deposit it into the bones. Without magnesium, calcium ends up deposited in your arteries, kidneys, bladder and even the brain, instead of your bones. So while calcium is needed for strong bones, you don’t want your calcium to magnesium ratio to get too out of whack. The more calcium you take, the more magnesium you need to ensure that calcium is absorbed.
Vitamin D: Magnesium is required for your body to use vitamin D, so taking excessive vitamin D can deplete your magnesium levels.
Selenium: Keeps magnesium inside your cells, where it should be.
Zinc: Needed for the absorption of magnesium.
Amounts and forms to take
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for magnesium ranges from 360-410 mg a day. Dr. Carolyn Dean, who has written an entire volume on magnesium and our health, recommends more, from 600-1200 mg per day. She recommends starting out slowly and gradually increasing your intake, and notes that it could take a year for your body to reach the necessary levels. I will say, however, that one of the reasons I love magnesium is that I will notice a difference in mere hours. If I notice symptoms coming on, I immediately take a dose of magnesium and will often begin to feel those symptoms dissipate that same day.
There are multiple ways to supplement with magnesium, and multiple forms of the mineral. Unfortunately, most studies with magnesium have used magnesium oxide, which is very poorly absorbed. The following are some of the better forms and ways of getting your magnesium:
- Ionic magnesium from magnesium chloride. Dr. Dean sells a form of this magnesium that is highly absorbed: ReMag. I also really like Anderson’s Sea simply because of the bottle design – it comes out in drops so I don’t have to get a measuring spoon out to measure out a dosage, like you do with ReMag. They also test their product for heavy metals. Another option is Magnox 520 which comes in pill form.
- Natural Calm made from magnesium citrate. The magnesium is not isolated and stabilized so it is not as well absorbed and could cause laxative effects. This is sometimes recommended for those with constipation, and while it will help with magnesium levels you may not reach saturation. You should easily be able to purchase Natural Calm at a local health food store as well.
- Magnesium Breakthrough is a newer product on the market that contains seven different forms of magnesium. While it is missing Threonate and doesn’t tell you how much of each form is included, I do believe it has helped me and hasn’t caused the laxative effect that some forms can cause.
- Epsom salts made from magnesium sulfate. Since magnesium is well absorbed through the skin, adding 1-2 cups of Epsom salts to a bath is a great way to not only get some magnesium, but also sulfur (which has its own list of benefits). Epsom salt baths are also great for muscle relaxation, and are a fabulous way to wind down at night and prepare for sleep. You can add in some essential oils to increase the spa-like experience. Dr. Teals is a well-known Epsom salt brand that can also easily be purchased at a local grocery or drug store.
- Magnesium sprays and lotions are another transdermal method. I experimented with these and found them helpful, but in the end found it easier to take supplements. The sprays can cause minor skin irritation – I found spraying it on my belly or back to be the least irritating. And don’t apply the sprays to freshly shaved skin! Ancient Minerals, Mo’ Maggie, and Magnesium Lotion Shop all make great lotions. You can also make your own – Wellness Mama has recipes for both magnesium oil and magnesium body butter.
- Magnesium Threonate is a newer form of magnesium on the market and claims to better cross the blood-brain barrier. Dr. Dean notes that these supplements can contain less elemental magnesium, but many people have benefited from supplementing with this specific form.
Magnesium levels are lowest in the early morning and late afternoon, so those are great times to supplement. You can always add a third dose in the evening to help with sleep. Or add liquid magnesium to a bottle of water and sip throughout the day. For menstruating women, you may notice you need even more magnesium right before your period.
Your body will rid itself of excess magnesium – you will notice this pretty easily as loose stools, especially if taking high levels of magnesium oxide or citrate. This is why taking ionic magnesium, or a mix of different types, will do a better job of increasing your magnesium levels.
It can take time – even months – to get your body saturated with magnesium. That’s okay. Keep taking it. What’s worked for me is to supplement with magnesium at breakfast and lunch, and sometimes again in the evening. But find what works for you. Maybe a nightly Epsom salt bath to relax before heading to bed.
Testing
It is possible to test your magnesium levels but there are some limitations. The best test is the ionized magnesium test, but this is only available in research labs. We are left with the magnesium RBC test which tests levels in the blood. Unfortunately, only 1% of our body’s magnesium is in the blood, so while it does give you some indication of your levels, it isn’t perfect. (Most magnesium is stored in our brain, heart, bones, and teeth). Also note that the results will compare your levels to the general population, and the general population is deficient. This means you will want your levels to be above 80% of the population. Dr. Dean recommends levels of 6.0-6.5 mg/dL. Both www.RequestATest.com and www.DirectLabs.com offer the Magnesium RBC test for under $60. You’ll go to a local lab for a blood draw.
Food Sources
Menstruating women may notice that they crave chocolate when their period is nearing. This could be because they need even more magnesium at this point in their cycle, and chocolate does have a high concentration of magnesium. While my house is never deplete of quality dark chocolate, I don’t eat it for the magnesium. One oz of dark chocolate contains about 40 mg of magnesium. A typical chocolate bar will be around 3 oz. so if you eat a complete dark chocolate bar you will get somewhere around 120 mg of magnesium and you are looking to get a minimum of 600 mg per day.
Great food sources include leafy green vegetable, nuts and seeds, and legumes:
| Food | Serving Size | Calories | Amount (mg) | Daily Value % |
| Pumpkin Seeds Spinach Swiss Chard Soybeans Sesame Seeds Black Beans Quinoa Cashews Sunflower Seeds Beet Greens Navy Beans Tempeh Buckwheat Pinto Beans Brown Rice Oats Almonds | 0.25 cup 1 cup 1 cup 1 cup 0.25 cup 1 cup 0.75 cup 0.25 cup 0.25 cup 1 cup 1 cup 4 oz 1 cup 1 cup 1 cup 0.25 cup 0.25 cup | 180 41 35 298 206 227 222 221 204 39 255 222 155 245 216 152 132 | 190 157 151 148 126 120 118 116 114 98 96 87 86 86 84 69 62 | 45% 37% 36% 35% 30% 29% 28% 28% 27% 23% 23% 21% 20% 20% 20% 16% 15% |
Bottom Line
Magnesium can improve depression and can also have a positive impact on many other chronic conditions such as insomnia, migraines, restless legs, etc. Since much of the population is deficient and your body will rid itself of excess, there is little harm in trying this option. The best forms of magnesium to take are ionic magnesium from magnesium chloride, natural calm, a spectrum of the various forms, and Epsom salts.
Credits
Credits: Photo by Matt Howard on Unsplash
Sources
The Magnesium Miracle: Great book by Dr. Carolyn Dean. It is over 600 pages long but much of it is organized by health topic, so if you aren’t affected by those issues you can easily skip to the topics of interest.
