Magnesium Glycinate Benefits

Magnesium Glycinate Benefits: What Are The Health Benefits Of Magnesium Glycinate?

Magnesium is a vital nutrient needed to ensure that the body stays healthy. It is essential for many body processes including the regulation of muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, blood pressure and the production of proteins, bones and DNA.
If a person is found to be deficient in magnesium, the best remedy is to get magnesium naturally. Magnesium that is naturally absorbed from food is not harmful and is excreted in the urine even when consumed at high levels.
Magnesium is also available in a variety of different forms including multivitamin supplements and other dietary supplements. Supplements can help those who suffer from deficiency. A supplement that is often used is magnesium glycinate.

Uses of Magnesium Glycinate

Magnesium glycinate is often used because it is the best absorbed and one of the softest forms of magnesium in the stomach.
Unlike other forms of magnesium, it may not cause as many adverse side effects, such as gastrointestinal discomfort or loose stools. This property makes magnesium glycinate a good supplement for bariatric surgery patients.
People who have kidney problems should consult a doctor before taking magnesium glycinate. If they consume too much magnesium, they may have trouble excreting the excess.

Benefits of Magnesium in the human body
Some people benefit more from magnesium glycinate than others and it can have a more positive effect on their health. This includes people with the following conditions:

  • High blood pressure or heart disease: Magnesium supplements can help lower blood pressure by a small amount.
  • Type 2 diabetes: People with higher amounts of magnesium in their diets can actually reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Magnesium helps break down sugars and can reduce the risk of insulin resistance.
  • Osteoporosis: Magnesium plays a role in the development of healthy bones, and people with higher magnesium levels may have higher bone mineral density. This is important to help reduce the risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis.
  • Migraine headaches: People who experience migraines sometimes have low levels of magnesium in the blood and other tissues. Supplements can help reduce the frequency of migraines.
  • Depression: Inadequate magnesium levels seem to reduce serotonin levels, and antidepressants have been shown to increase magnesium levels in the brain.

Measuring magnesium levels is not easy because magnesium is found inside cells or bones rather than in the bloodstream. It is possible that blood tests are misleading.
Doctors usually measure serum magnesium concentrations in the blood, saliva, or urine to help make the best determination.
It is important to let a doctor make the final diagnosis since the symptoms commonly associated with the deficiency could be related to another health problem.

Where to find foods rich in magnesium?

Magnesium is found naturally in many common foods. Most people can get the recommended daily dose by incorporating magnesium-rich foods into their daily diet.
Common foods that contain magnesium include:

  • Legumes, nuts, seeds
  • Whole grains
  • Spinach and other leafy vegetables
  • Fortified breakfast cereals and other fortified foods
  • Milk, yogurt and other dairy products
  • Magnesium glycinate supplements are available to buy online. Talk to a doctor before taking any new supplements.

Require

The recommended daily amount of magnesium depends on a person’s age and sex. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides guidelines for the recommended daily allowance in milligrams (mg) below:

  • Babies from 7 to 12 months 75 mg
  • Children 1-3 years 80 mg
  • Children from 4 to 8 years 130 mg
  • Children from 9 to 13 years 240 mg
  • Adolescent boys 14-18 years 410 mg
  • Teenage girls 14-18 years 360 mg
  • Men 400-420 mg
  • Female 310-320 mg
  • Pregnant adolescents 400 mg
  • Pregnant women 350-360 mg
  • Lactation of adolescents 360 mg
  • Lactating women 310-320 mg

Deficiency
According to the NIH, most people in the United States do not get the recommended amount of magnesium from their daily diet. Men over the age of 70 and teenage girls are more likely to have a low magnesium intake.
Taking too little magnesium does not usually cause any adverse symptoms in the body. The body loses a certain amount of magnesium every day due to normal body functions, such as muscle movement, heartbeat, and hormone production. Although only a small amount of magnesium is needed, it is important to replenish magnesium levels to prevent deficiency.
When people who are not magnesium deficient have a low amount of magnesium in the body, the kidneys help retain magnesium by restricting the amount that is lost in the urine. This may work temporarily until the levels rise, but a person who has low magnesium levels for long periods of time may develop magnesium deficiency.
In addition to not following a magnesium-rich diet, some medical conditions and medications can affect the way the body absorbs magnesium. They can also increase the amount of magnesium that the body gets rid of, which can lead to a magnesium deficiency.

Health conditions that can lead to magnesium deficiencies include:

  • Gastrointestinal diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis
  • Diabetes
  • Pancreatitis
  • High thyroid hormone levels
  • Kidney disease
  • Taking diuretics

Certain lifestyle factors can also reduce magnesium levels. These include:

  • Drinking too much coffee, soft drinks or alcohol
  • Eating too much sodium
  • Heavy menstrual periods
  • Excessive sweating
  • Prolonged stress

People who are deficient in magnesium may experience the following symptoms:

  • Loss of appetite
  • Queasy
  • Vomit
  • Fatigue and weakness

According to the NIH, extreme magnesium deficiency can cause:

  • Numbness
  • Shudder
  • Muscle cramps
  • Seizure
  • Personality changes
  • Abnormal heart rhythm
  • Risks and complications

Only a doctor should diagnose magnesium deficiency. They can take blood tests and identify the right action plan to get magnesium levels back on track.

High amounts of magnesium dietary supplements, including magnesium glycinate, can cause adverse side effects, including diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps. Extremely high intakes of magnesium can lead to irregular heartbeat and cardiac arrest, which can be very dangerous.

Magnesium glycinate and other supplements may also interfere or interact with some medicines. These include:

  • Bisphosphonates are used to treat osteoporosis. These drugs are poorly absorbed by the body if they are taken too close to supplements or drugs that contain a large amount of magnesium.
  • Antibiotic. These may not be absorbed by the body if taken too soon before or after a magnesium supplement.
  • Diuretics can increase or decrease the loss of magnesium through urine.
  • Prescription drugs used to treat acid reflux or peptic ulcers can lead to low levels of magnesium in the blood when taken for a long period of time.
  • Extremely high doses of zinc supplements can interfere with the absorption and regulation of magnesium in the body.