Shoals, Decatur and Madison Residents...How to Best Maximize Your Magnesium Levels

We know that magnesium can help with numerous conditions and bodily functions, such as sleep, headaches, anxiety, heart function and muscular recovery. But how can we get our magnesium levels up? First, you want to make sure that you are optimizing your magnesium consumption in the foods you eat. Nuts, seeds, legumes, and leafy greens are among the best sources of magnesium.

Beyond foods, you can also use oral magnesium supplements to raise your levels, but which to choose?  One parameter that you may want to consider is bioavailability, that is, how well the magnesium is absorbed by the small intestine and then distributed to the cells of the body. Some of the most bioavailable forms of magnesium include magnesium citrate and magnesium glycinate. Magnesium L-threonate is a newer compound discovered in 2010 that demonstrates great bioavailability. It also demonstrates a good ability to cross the blood barrier and help better with things like sleep and anxiety.

You can also take magnesium with other vitamins to maximize its absorption. Vitamin B6, for example, demonstrates improvement in magnesium depletion and this is felt to be caused by B6 allowing magnesium to be absorbed into cells more efficiently. Activated vitamin D, also known as calcitriol, appears to help increase the intestinal absorption of magnesium.

Individuals may have a variety of medical conditions, genetic variations or medication regimens that affect their ability to absorb the magnesium in their diet and supplements. These individuals will often find significant improvement in symptoms such as fatigue, muscle cramps, migraines, and anxiety when infused with magnesium rich IV cocktails, such as the Myers formulation. Therefore, this modality of magnesium supplementation may be considered in individuals who remain symptomatic of a magnesium deficient state even when supplementing properly.