The BEST and WORST Forms of Magnesium

Summary

This video discusses the importance of magnesium, which is involved in over 300 biochemical processes. Testing magnesium levels is difficult, as only 1% is in the blood. Many people are deficient in magnesium, affecting energy production, heart health, and even the effectiveness of vitamin D. The worst form of magnesium, magnesium oxide, has poor absorption, while magnesium glycinate is the best with 80% absorption. Different forms of magnesium help with muscle relaxation, energy, sleep, and cognitive function. The video emphasizes the role of magnesium in overall health and provides advice on the best forms to take.

Takeaways

• 🔬 Magnesium is crucial for over 300 biochemical processes and is involved with more enzymes than any other mineral.
• 🩸 Blood tests are not effective for measuring magnesium levels as most of it is inside cells, not in the blood.
• 🚫 Magnesium oxide has a low absorption rate of only 4% and is commonly sold over the counter, leading to misconceptions about magnesium's efficacy.
• 💊 Magnesium sulfate has a slightly better absorption rate of about 10% and can help relax muscles but has a laxative effect.
• 🌿 Magnesium orate has an absorption rate of up to 15%, can penetrate cell walls, and supports DNA and energy production.
• 💓 Magnesium threonate is good for heart health and nervous system support with a moderate absorption rate of around 20%.
• 🍶 Magnesium lactate is gentle on the GI system with a 25% absorption rate and is beneficial for cardiovascular health and energy.
• 💧 Magnesium citrate has a 30% absorption rate, helps prevent kidney stones, and is available in liquid form for better absorption.
• 🍋 Magnesium malate absorbs at about 40% and is particularly good for chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and muscle health.
• 🧠 Magnesium L-threonate (magnesium 3,8) has a high absorption rate of 75% and is beneficial for cognitive function and sleep.
• 🛌 Magnesium glycinate is the most absorbable form, with up to 80% absorption, and is gentle on the GI system, beneficial for sleep, relaxation, and stress.

Q & A

Why is magnesium considered so important for the human body?

Magnesium is crucial because it is involved in over 300 different parts of human biochemistry, which is more than any other mineral, and it plays a key role in energy production within cells.

Is it easy to determine magnesium levels in the body?

No, it is almost impossible to accurately test magnesium levels. Most magnesium is inside cells, and blood tests do not reflect the cellular magnesium status.

What is the relationship between magnesium and vitamin D?

Magnesium is very important for vitamin D function. Without sufficient magnesium, vitamin D cannot work effectively.

How does magnesium help in preventing kidney stones?

Magnesium can prevent the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones by controlling calcium levels and reducing the likelihood of calcium binding with oxalates.

What is the absorption rate of magnesium oxide, and why is it considered the worst form of magnesium?

Magnesium oxide has an absorption rate of only 4%, which is very low. It is considered the worst form because most of it passes through the body undigested, and it can cause gastric stress and diarrhea.

Which form of magnesium has the highest absorption rate mentioned in the script?

Magnesium glycinate has the highest absorption rate mentioned, which can be up to 80%.

Why is magnesium glycinate considered the best form of magnesium for overall body benefits?

Magnesium glycinate is considered the best due to its high absorption rate of up to 80%, its gentleness on the GI system, and its effectiveness in preventing muscle spasms, aiding sleep, and supporting relaxation and stress reduction without interfering with other minerals.

What role does magnesium play in cardiovascular health?

Magnesium is essential for heart health, helping to lower blood pressure, prevent muscle cramps, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular issues.

How does magnesium affect insulin sensitivity and secretion?

Magnesium is involved in insulin secretion and enhances insulin sensitivity, which is why diabetics are often deficient in magnesium.

What is the recommended dosage of magnesium for maintenance and therapeutic purposes?

For maintenance, it is recommended to take 400 mg of magnesium per day, and for therapeutic purposes, a double dose is suggested.

Why is it suggested to take magnesium at night?

Magnesium follows a rhythm in the body, with levels lowest in the early morning and highest in the evening. Taking it at night can help address subclinical magnesium deficiencies that may cause early morning issues like insomnia or muscle cramps.

Outlines

00:00

🚫 The Importance and Forms of Magnesium

Magnesium is a crucial mineral involved in over 300 biochemical processes within the body, making it one of the most vital minerals for health. Despite its importance, it's challenging to test for magnesium levels accurately due to the fact that the majority of it resides within cells, with only a small fraction present in the blood. Magnesium plays a key role in energy production, vitamin D function, and preventing conditions like kidney stones. It also supports heart health, reduces blood pressure, prevents muscle cramps, and aids in sleep. The video discusses various forms of magnesium, starting with magnesium oxide, which has a poor absorption rate and is commonly found over the counter, despite its low efficacy. The discussion highlights the importance of magnesium and the need for proper forms that are more readily absorbed by the body.

05:01

🌟 Magnesium Absorption and Benefits

This paragraph delves into the different forms of magnesium supplements, their absorption rates, and specific health benefits. Magnesium sulfate has a slightly better absorption rate and can help relax muscles. Magnesium orate penetrates cell walls to aid in energy production and acts as an antioxidant. Magnesium taurate is beneficial for heart health and nervous system support. Magnesium lactate is gentle on the GI system and promotes cardiovascular health. Magnesium citrate helps prevent kidney stones and detoxifies the body. Magnesium malate is good for chronic fatigue and increasing energy. Magnesium glycinate, the most absorbable form, is highlighted for its high absorption rate and lack of laxative effects, making it ideal for muscle spasms, sleep, and relaxation. The video emphasizes the importance of magnesium for vitamin D function and insulin sensitivity, particularly for diabetics. It suggests taking magnesium at night and spreading the dosage throughout the day to follow the body's magnesium rhythm.

Keywords

💡Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, such as energy production and enzyme regulation. In the video, it is emphasized that magnesium is crucial for various bodily functions, including heart health, muscle relaxation, and vitamin D activation. The video also explores different forms of magnesium, highlighting their varying absorption rates and benefits.

💡Magnesium Oxide

Magnesium oxide is identified as the worst form of magnesium due to its low absorption rate of only 4%. Despite being a common over-the-counter supplement, it offers little benefit because most of it passes through the body without being absorbed. The video criticizes its widespread use in studies, which leads to misleading conclusions about magnesium's efficacy.

💡Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a vital nutrient for bone health and immune function, but it relies on magnesium to function properly. The video explains that without sufficient magnesium, vitamin D cannot effectively regulate calcium in the body. This interdependency highlights the importance of ensuring adequate magnesium intake to maximize the benefits of vitamin D supplementation.

💡Absorption Rate

Absorption rate refers to the percentage of a substance that is absorbed and utilized by the body. The video compares the absorption rates of different magnesium forms, with magnesium oxide at the bottom (4%) and magnesium glycinate at the top (80%). Higher absorption rates indicate that more of the mineral is available for bodily functions, making certain forms of magnesium more effective.

💡Magnesium Glycinate

Magnesium glycinate is presented as the best form of magnesium due to its high absorption rate of 80%. It is gentle on the digestive system and does not cause laxative effects, making it ideal for addressing muscle cramps, stress, and sleep issues. The video recommends this form for individuals seeking a high-quality magnesium supplement with broad health benefits.

💡Calcium Oxalate

Calcium oxalate refers to a compound that can form kidney stones. Magnesium can help prevent the formation of these stones by regulating calcium in the body. The video specifically mentions magnesium's ability to reduce the risk of kidney stones, particularly when using forms like magnesium citrate that bind with oxalates.

💡Magnesium Citrate

Magnesium citrate is highlighted for its moderate absorption rate (30%) and ability to help prevent kidney stones by binding with oxalates. It is also recommended for cardiovascular health and detoxification. This form of magnesium is often taken in liquid form and is used to support various functions like blood pressure regulation.

💡Magnesium Malate

Magnesium malate is known for its better absorption (40%) and its specific benefits for those with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. The video notes that this form of magnesium helps increase energy and supports muscle health, making it suitable for individuals dealing with muscle pain or chronic energy deficits.

💡Laxative Effect

Laxative effect refers to magnesium's ability to loosen the bowels and induce bowel movements. Certain forms of magnesium, such as magnesium sulfate and citrate, have strong laxative properties. While this can be beneficial for relieving constipation, the video points out that it can also cause digestive discomfort, making some forms less desirable for regular supplementation.

💡Magnesium Deficiency

Magnesium deficiency occurs when an individual does not consume enough magnesium through their diet. The video stresses that most people do not get enough magnesium, leading to issues like muscle cramps, insomnia, and even problems with vitamin D absorption. It discusses how magnesium levels are lowest in the early morning, which can exacerbate symptoms like early-morning insomnia or leg cramps.

Highlights

Magnesium is involved in over 300 different parts of your biochemistry, more than any other mineral.

Magnesium is almost impossible to test accurately through blood tests, as most of it is inside cells.

The average person does not get enough magnesium from their diet.

Magnesium is crucial for energy production within cells.

Magnesium is essential for vitamin D to function properly.

Vitamin K2's function is dependent on magnesium.

Magnesium can prevent the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones.

Magnesium is vital for heart health, lowering blood pressure, and preventing muscle cramps and migraines.

Magnesium oxide has a very low absorption rate of only 4%.

Magnesium sulfate has a slightly better absorption rate of about 10% and can help relax muscles.

Magnesium orate has an absorption rate of up to 15% and can penetrate cell walls to aid in energy production.

Magnesium glycinate is the most absorbable form of magnesium, with up to 80% absorption rate.

Magnesium is necessary for vitamin D to work, and vitamin D won't function without it.

Magnesium acts as a natural calcium channel blocker, beneficial for heart health.

Diabetics are often severely deficient in magnesium due to its role in insulin secretion and sensitivity.

Magnesium should ideally be taken at night, following the body's natural rhythm.

Early morning symptoms like insomnia and muscle cramps may indicate a magnesium deficiency.

Transcripts

the best and worst forms of magnesium

let's talk about that today now the

question is why is magnesium so

important well it's involved in 300

different parts of your biochemistry no

other mineral is involved with that many

enzymes now vitamin D is involved with

2500 different genes but genes are not

enzymes the other big thing about

magnesium is it's almost impossible to

test that's right if you do a blood test

you're not going to be able to know

what's going on in the cell you see the

majority of magnesium like 9 % is inside

the cell and only 1% is in the blood but

it's very difficult and it's not easy to

test in fact I don't know anyone who's

ever had their magnesium tested

correctly an average person doesn't even

come close to getting enough magnesium

from their diet magnesium is at the

heart of energy production deep down

inside your cells you have this little

rotary motor it's the smallest motor in

nature and it's spinning between 100 to

400 times a second and you need

magnesium for that thing to rotate to

make the energy magnesium is very

important in vitamin D so if you don't

have enough magnesium vitamin D won't

work you might have thought that vitamin

K2 was the key vitamin to keep calcium

out of the soft tissues but what you

might not know is vitamin K2 is

dependent on magnesium also people get

these kidney stones it's usually a

calcium oxalate kidney stone magnesium

can prevent that Stone from forming

because it controls the calcium

magnesium is essential for the heart to

lower blood pressure prevent muscle

cramps migraine headaches helping you

sleep at night so let's go through the

different forms of magnesium starting

with the one that is the worst of the

worst very poor absorption rate this is

called magnesium oxide usually you can

cram 400 milligrams of magnesium oxide

into one pill but what you might not

know is the magnesium oxide only has an

absorption rate of 4% that's like 96% of

it goes right through you whereas other

forms of magnesium like the best form

which I'll get to has an 80% absorption

you'd have to take 8,000 milligrams

that's 20 of these capsules just to

equal the dose of what You' get from a

high quality magnesium supplement

there's no way you could take 20 of

these pills all together because it

would create so much gastric stress and

so much diarrhea so never take magnesium

oxide now the problem with that is that

that's the most common one they sell

over the counter in fact and this is

interesting magnesium oxide is the most

common type of magnesium they use in

researching magnesium and if you're only

absorbing 4% you can imagine the results

from those studies are not going to show

hardly any benefit thus the mixed

reviews you get about magnesium and then

of course your doctor might say oh yeah

based on the studies magnesium doesn't

work but not all magnesium is the same

there's a lot of differences and the

reason why you can't just take magnesium

without anything it has to be

transported so when you see magnesium it

always comes comes with something else

and the last thing about magnesium oxide

is super expensive you're probably

paying $10 for it but you can buy a

kilogram of it if you buy it in bulk for

like $5 so when you're buying a bottle

of magnesium oxide the raw material cost

of that is probably 10 cents the bottle

is more expensive than the Magnesium

itself okay so we're starting at the

worst magnesium magnesium oxide and

we're going to start to go up from there

and mainly this evaluation is based on

absorption but I'm going to go through

each one and kind of tell you the unique

things about each one the next one is

magnesium sulfate you probably get an

absorption rate about 10% so it's a

little bit better it also has a high

laxative effect so it can help relax

your muscles superficially all right

let's go to the next one magnesium orate

this one has an absorption rate of

roughly up to 15% this one is unique

because it can penetrate the cell wall

so it can kind of go into the cell and

help make energy it's also good as an

antioxidant and it can support your DNA

the next one is called magnesium Tate

and for this one you get a moderate

absorption like 20% so that's a little

bit better and this one is also good for

cardiac anything related to the heart

especially blood pressure as well as

supporting your nervous system then

let's go to the next one magnesium

lactate this one has a little better

absorption about 25% and this one is

more gentle on your GI system it's not

as much of a laxative it too is good for

the cardiovascular system and to improve

energy now this is the one that they

usually put in an oil to put on your

body topically but here's the problem

magnesium doesn't actually penetrate

through all the different barriers of

your skin deep into the blood supply

it's not going to go into your blood

topically but it may go into your

muscles and help relax your muscles a

lot of people get benefit by rubbing

this magnesium into their muscles before

they go to bed so it's not a bad option

all right the next one is magnesium

citrate this is an absorption of about

30% a lot of people take this one to

prevent kidney stones because citrate

combine with the oxalates okay and they

can reduce the oxalates connecting to

calcium but it also can help detoxify

you it's good for cardiovascular issues

blood pressure and this one also can

come in a liquid next one is magnesium

malate this one absorbs a little bit

better like 40% malate is good for

chronic fatigue syndrome fibromyalgia

overall increasing energy it helps your

muscles then we get to another form of

magnesium and that is called magnesium 3

and8 this one absorbs pretty good 75%

but it doesn't have a really good

systemic effect on everything else

mainly for your brain because it can

cross the bloodb brain barrier so this

one is good for cognitive function sleep

but this is not the type of magnesium

you want for overall Body Benefits all

right now let's get to the one that I

personally take it is the most

absorbable type of magnesium and this is

called magnesium glycinate this one can

be absorbed up to 80% so that's a lot

this one is good because it doesn't give

you a laxative problem it's very gentle

on the GI system it's good for any

muscle spasm in the body it's good for

Sleep relaxation stress migraines and it

won't interfere with other minerals like

calcium and iron and one of the more

important functions of magnesium and I

want to emphasize this is to allow

vitamin D to work and vitamin D won't

work without magnesium so if a person

takes vitamin D and they're like oh yeah

that didn't work is probably because

you're deficient in magnesium magnesium

is a natural calcium channel blocker so

it's really good for the heart it's

really good to help control calcium

build up anywhere in the body magesium

is also involved in insulin secretion

and allowing your insulin to be more

sensitive this is why diabetics are

nearly always severely deficient in

magnesium I recommend taking magnesium

at night as a maintenance dose I would

recommend to take 400 mg per day as a

therapeutic dose I would double that but

the problem if you're taking magnesium

glycinate all at night that's a lot of

pills so I would recommend just

spreading those out through the day

magnesium follows like a rhythm okay so

it's going to be at its lowest point in

your body in the early morning okay

maybe around 6:00 a.m. that's going to

be the lowest point okay and then in the

evening it'll be at its highest point

and so if you have a subclinical

magnesium deficiency you May notice more

problems you have in the early morning

and I'm talking about early morning

insomnia the cramps the feet cramps or

leg cramps that just get you out of bed

in the early morning most of those

cramps happen right about that time so

isn't that interesting it correlates

exactly with a magnesium deficiency now

if you want more fascinating information

about magnesium check out this video

right here