One of the six core strategies in the Undoctored Wild, Naked, and Unwashed program for health and weight loss is restoration of magnesium.
Magnesium deficiency is alarmingly common in today’s world. Why? Our reliance on filtered water that has had all of the magnesium removed, the reduced content of magnesium in modern crops, and the widespread use of proton pump inhibitors—-drugs prescribed to treat acid reflux and ulcers while reducing magnesium absorption.
Remember those darned phytates in wheat and other grains that bind magnesium and other positively charged minerals in the intestinal tract, preventing absorption and causing you to pass them into the toilet? Phytates reduce magnesium absorption by 60 percent, even when consuming just a single bagel or deli sandwich. It means that for years minerals were prevented from being absorbed whenever any phytate-containing grain was in the vicinity, blocking the absorption of even mineral supplements. Advice to include grains in every meal and snack predictably caused deficiencies of positively charged minerals, especially magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc. Add it all up, and sadly magnesium deficiency is the rule, rather than the exception.
Magnesium is at the top of the list of minerals that have been depleted. Have a breakfast of cereal with fruit, and nearly all the magnesium from breakfast is lost in the toilet due to phytates. Have a lunch of turkey breast on whole wheat bread with lettuce and tomatoes—and, once again, nearly all the magnesium from this meal was bound and passed. Popular acid blocking drugs (PPIs) like Prilosec, Prevacid, Nexium, and others also block magnesium absorption. Those with diabetes and prediabetes typically have the most severe magnesium deficiencies, as they lose magnesium through their urine. Combine the magnesium absorption–blocking effect of grain phytates and PPIs with the removal of magnesium from drinking water via water filtration, both municipal and home, as well as the reduced magnesium content of modern crops, and magnesium deficiency is now the rule. We therefore start the Undoctored process with profound, body-wide magnesium deficiency.
Although the health benefits of restoring magnesium aren’t as dramatic as that of vitamin D restoration or wheat/grain elimination, it can still yield some perceptible and measurable benefits. The fact is, this has real health implications. Because magnesium participates in many essential body processes, depletion is disruptive. Among the effects of magnesium deficiency:
- Higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Ironically, the number-one preferred starting treatment for high blood pressure among primary care physicians is thiazide diuretics, such as hydrochlorothiazide and chlorthalidone, which cause increased urinary loss of magnesium (and potassium) and have thereby been associated with increased sudden cardiac death. In other words, hypertension that is partly to blame on magnesium deficiency is “treated” with a drug that worsens magnesium deficiency–such is the flawed logic typical of conventional medical care.
- Higher or erratic blood sugar, since magnesium is required for the body’s enzymes to process blood sugar. Accordingly, each 100-milligram increase in daily magnesium intake decreases risk for diabetes by 15 percent.
- Muscle cramps, particularly in the calves and fingers, since magnesium modulates muscle tone.
- Heart rhythm disorders, especially premature atrial and ventricular contractions, atrial fibrillation, even life-threatening rhythms such as ventricular tachycardia and torsade des pointes.
- Higher risk for sudden cardiac death and heart attack. People with lower magnesium levels have double the risk of people with higher magnesium levels.
- Osteopenia and osteoporosis. Since over half of body magnesium is contained in bones and provides a “cross-bridging” function for structural bone proteins, lack of magnesium can have devastating long-term implications for bone health.
- Constipation. Ever notice that many laxatives are nothing more than forms of magnesium, such as milk of magnesia (magnesium hydroxide)?
- Migraine headaches, with magnesium injections providing relief in some instances.
The power of magnesium to even be lifesaving in acute deficiencies is evident in hospitals, where it is administered intravenously to subdue life-threatening heart rhythms and does so immediately and dramatically. But we, of course, do not want to allow such acute, life-threatening deficiencies to develop.
Magnesium also plays an important role in prevention or even reduction of kidney stones (calcium oxalate).
As with other Undoctored strategies, restoration of magnesium reaches across numerous health issues because it addresses an intrinsic, fundamental human need, thereby providing outsize, sometimes life-changing, benefits. Because most of us don’t want to drink from a nearby stream or river flowing over rocks and minerals or forage for wild foods, we are left with nutritional supplementation. When done properly, magnesium supplementation can be powerful. When done improperly (which is what most people who supplement magnesium are guilty of), you may be obtaining only the benefit of a laxative without restoration of this essential mineral.
You want to obtain between 400 and 500 milligrams per day of magnesium, often called elemental magnesium (the weight of magnesium only, without the weight of the acid, such as malate). Confusingly, some supplement manufacturers will list the weight of the total capsule or tablet. For example, one 1,250-milligram tablet of magnesium malate provides 150 milligrams of elemental magnesium—the 1,250 milligrams is immaterial; you are only interested in the quantity of elemental magnesium. If you find a brand that only lists the total weight, skip it and find one that lists elemental magnesium.
If you suffer from constipation, choosing a less efficiently absorbed form of magnesium may be preferable. Such forms cause an osmotic effect, pulling water into the intestines, a benign process compared to irritative laxatives like phenolphthalein or senna that exert low-grade damage over time and are even associated with cancer risk. Taking 400 milligrams (total weight of magnesium + citric acid) of magnesium citrate two or three times per day is a good place to start. If nothing happens after 24 hours, one or more doses of 800 to 1,200 milligrams will usually do the trick; then back down to the 400-milligram dose two or three times per day.
Choose the following forms for their greater absorptive potential:
- Magnesium malate, in tablet or capsule form (malic acid is a common component of fruit).
- Magnesium bicarbonate. This is the most highly absorbed form, but it is available only as a liquid that you make yourself. You will find this recipe here and in my UNDOCTORED book.
- Magnesium glycinate. While not absorbed as well as malate, it is a reasonable choice.
- Magnesium citrate. This is the preferred form if you desire a modest laxative effect or if you have a history of calcium oxalate stones (as both magnesium and citric acid inhibit formation of kidney stones).
- I do not recommend magnesium oxide; although it is the most inexpensive and most common form, very little of it is absorbed and the laxative effect is quite prominent.
Because magnesium deficiency is the rule in modern society, since you cannot obtain sufficient quantities through modern foods or water, and because the health implications of deficiency are so great, everyone needs to restore magnesium. (The only exception is people with kidney disease who abnormally retain magnesium.)
Here are some foods that are high in magnesium content:
I just checked on NOW Foods site, to check about elemental magnesium content of their Mg Citrate content, and they claim that a serving of this provides the 400 mg of magnesium recommended on the label. I don’t know if I can add a link, but this is what I found on their website, would you recommend this one? https://www.nowfoods.com/now/nowledge/magnesium-citrate-pharmacokinetic-pk-study
Barbara wrote: «…NOW Foods…Mg Citrate…»
The WB/Undoctored program actually recommends Mg citrate as part of the protocol for addressing calcium oxalate kidney stones, but most people do fine on Mg bicarbonate (see recent Mg water post) or Mg malate tablets. I use Mg water myself.
re: «…provides the 400 mg of magnesium recommended on the label.…»
Just looking at the label details for the 400mg product on Amazon, I see some things that raise an eyebrow:
1. Mg form is not mostly citrate
It’s listed as Oxide, then Citrate, then Aspartate. The citrate form is clearly less than ½ of the Mg, and could be as low as ⅓, and maybe less than that, because the Other Ingredients further includes Mg Stearate.
2. Rice flour
… is also listed in the Other Ingredients, and there’s no clue how much. This is obviously not a net carb concern, but is a concern for wheat germ agglutinin lectin (found in all rices), and arsenic (found in too many rices, and source-dependent).
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How about just focusing on Magnesium-rich foods (which are all over the Plant Kingdom) instead of tablets and magnesium-water as a solution.
The same people who are Magnesium deficient are usually Potassium deficient, and many end up with Thyroid issues.
Keep it simple. Eat more plants people.
Casper Gomez wrote: «How about just focusing on Magnesium-rich foods (which are all over the Plant Kingdom) instead of tablets and magnesium-water as a solution.»
If confirmed by an RBC magnesium test, with a result in the upper half of reference range, that’s fine.
But any random person who checks, despite being on a diet they think is providing ample Mg, is likely to find that the titer is low. Top suspects for why include contemporary crops that don’t rise to legacy reference levels of Mg, and a diet that includes mineral blockers or other elements contributing to poor absorption.
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Bob, I eat boat loads of so-called Mineral blockers, and my Magnesium levels and all micronutrient levels are superb.
Problem with recommending solutions like mineral-water without pushing hard on Veggies is that it gets people comfy with solutions that are based on “isolated” Nutrients. You ending up not benefiting from the synergistic benefits of loading up on phytonutrient-rich foods.
Casper Gomez wrote: «I eat boat loads of so-called Mineral blockers, and my Magnesium levels and all micronutrient levels are superb.»
As I said above, “If confirmed by an RBC magnesium test, with a result in the upper half of reference range, that’s fine.” If I might ask, if you aren’t doing an Mg supp, what’s your superb number?
re: «Problem with recommending solutions like mineral-water without pushing hard on Veggies is that it gets people comfy with solutions that are based on “isolated” Nutrients.»
There are a lot of candidate micronutrients that could be supplemented. For the vast majority of them, the WB/Undoctored program relies on food sources. Examples include but are not limited to: calcium, copper, selenium, vitamin E.
The program has only five that need specific attention, due to our modern nutritional environment: Iodine, Magnesium, Omega 3 DHA+EPA, prebiotic fiber and vitamin D, as confirmed by titer targets or other labs (excepting prebiotic, which is by weight). In addition to sodium guidance, there are eight more that might need to be considered; but the core five are pandemically deficient and provide outsized benefits when corrected.
If someone can hit the core targets exclusively from low-toxin food sources, that’s obviously ideal, but most of us can’t.
For some context, having read almost all of the historical traffic, back to 2004 or so, Dr. Davis didn’t pick these core micros, or their targets, out of thin air. They were developed as a side effect of focusing on preventing and reversing heart disease. Many micros were considered and tested. Most were discarded. What remains matters. This is result-based, and not hypothetical. It’s also not philosophical, except that there is a bias for needing an ancestral case for candidate micros.
re: «You ending up not benefiting from the synergistic benefits of loading up on phytonutrient-rich foods.»
Within net carb target, the program has no problem with eating as much plant food as you like.
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Bob What would the 8 supplemental micro-nutrients be? I have read all of Dr D’s books & refer to them. Queried this blog but got nothing. melatonin – sleep , B6, K2 & K–1 osteoporosis, but can’t find any others. Can you elucidate for us & what it might help with?
Linda wrote: «What would the 8 supplemental micro-nutrients be?»
They would be the ones I show as Extended Supplements in the article I wrote when last reviewing what my family takes. Including sodium, they are: CoQ10, Folate, Iron, Potassium, Sodium, Vitamin B12, Vitamin K1, Vitamin K2, Zinc.
These are discussed in various places in the books and on the TYP/Cureality/InnerCircle sites. Other than salt, they aren’t routinely encouraged. It’s a matter of suspected deficiencies, or even medication- phenotype- and gender-specific situations. Routine supplementation is not likely to have any hazards, except for iron, which tends to be either a you-really-need-it or you-really-need-to-avoid-it scenario.
re: «Can you elucidate for us & what it might help with?»
That linked article contains more than I know about 93 supplements☺, and cites to information sources.
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My dr recommended magnesium threonate …. easier on the gut … what do you think ?
Carol wrote: «My dr recommended magnesium threonate…»
Did your doctor provide you with the results of any human trials on that, reported in the last year or so? They may exist, I haven’t looked lately.
Here’s what I wrote when it arose a year ago.
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Can you provide a link to a good tablet to take?
rwh wrote: «Can you provide a link to a good tablet to take?»
No, but when I’m not using homemade Mg water, I use a capsule product: Source Naturals Magnesium Malate “625 MG” (which actually provides 425 mg of Mg).
UPC 0 21078 016000 7
If I wanted a tablet, I’d probably start with ConsumerLab’s product testing (subscription site), then find an Approved product that lacked adverse other ingredients, being on the lookout specifically for grain flours and calcium compounds. Also, as you can see even with the product we use, figuring out the actual amount of elemental Mg can be challenging.
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Thank you. How many capsules do you take per day when taking capsules in lieu of the magnesium water you make?
rwh wrote: «How many capsules do you take per day when taking capsules in lieu of the magnesium water you make?»
With any given product it depends on how many units make up a serving. In the case of the S.N. product mentioned above, the 425 mg is three caps, which is a nice convenient way to spread the intake over the day.
This sort of product detail is usually (but not always) visible in product images on sites like Amazon and Vitacost. Being able to read entire labels before purchase is must-have criterion for me.
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What about using magnesium creams or oil to the skin, thereby skipping upsetting the gut?
I use this too, it’s the “oil” absorbed thru the skin. I didn’t see it in any of recommendations.
Louise wrote: «What about using magnesium creams or oil to the skin…»
See the Dr. Davis quote in this recent comment on that.
Basically, you need to demand supplier data supporting a claim of absorption, and then confirm it with an RBC Mg test.
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I have considered magnesium sources, especially Carolyn Dean ( author of magnesium Miracle™
I read her books and have been to her websites ) she suggests worse forms lay toward our need to go to the toilet as magnesium can be a laxative!
Carolyn Dean™ ( cited in reference) is an MD. Understand she lives in Hawaii. Similar problems exist between magnesium and calcium mixtures seem to be mentioned in reviews toward “Roman Cement“ (do a google search ) and “Portland Cement“. Due to the processing . Shorter life products and more pollution follow! I mention cement as an area I work with.
Carolyn has an almost non laxative product ( careful of our choices). She has an approach which considers minerals by consumption size / dose, and the human mix towards talking of calcium and magnesium. Likewise an ancient Roman mix has been said to include less heat, and often with sea water mineral mix ( magnesium included) toward gaining a longer life span.
Sources for higher levels of magnesium may be found simply by visiting the ocean! Since magnesium is said to be absorbed thru the skin. Take a swim or bath your handsin sea water!
Bud wrote: «I have considered magnesium sources, especially Carolyn Dean…»
The New Capstone ReMag® product passes ConsumerLab testing, but has an issue, perhaps two:
1. It’s magnesium chloride,
which is not a form encouraged by WB/Undoctored, and I haven’t really dug into why. If I wanted to try it, I’d be interested in how much is required to get the RBC Mg titer into the target range (upper half of lab’s Reference Range).
2. New Capstone just got an FDA warning
on claims (which, as usual, has nothing to do with the truth of those claims, only that the FDA doesn’t allow supplements to make them).
re: «Similar problems exist between magnesium and calcium mixtures…»
The WB/Undoctored program specifically advises avoiding calcium supplements, and supplements containing more than a trace amount of calcium. Get your Ca from food. Supplement forms (with the possible exception of the very uncommon calcium hydroxyapatite form) tend to end up everywhere except bones, including some places you really don’t want Ca.
re: «…as magnesium can be a laxative!»
Yep, and that guides program recommendations. We’re looking for maximum absorption, and minimum accelerant effect.
re: «Sources for higher levels of magnesium may be found simply by visiting the ocean!»
Only if confirmed by actually testing RBC Mg. If you’re going to explore beyond program advice, verify that you are getting the benefit claimed by the promoter.
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Re: Magnesium water, it is very hard, if not impossible, to obtain a Milk of Magnesia in the UK without flavouring. Imported is available, but negates any savings over tablets.
Will a small amount of peppermint oil in the formulation really affect the ability to make magnesium water?
Brian Williams wrote: «Magnesium water, it is very hard, if not impossible, to obtain a Milk of Magnesia in the UK without flavouring.»
I see it on amazon.co.uk. I might add that here in the US, what’s available at retail for supplements is largely useless junk. Perhaps only 1 out of every 3 stores will have a MoM product that contains only magnesium hydroxide and purified water — similar story with refrigerated probiotics. For all of our other supplements, we use mail order.
re: «ill a small amount of peppermint oil in the formulation really affect the ability to make magnesium water?»
Keeping in mind that it’s been some decades since my last physical chemistry class, there might be two separate considerations here:
1. interference with the reaction
2. liberation of the carbonation pre-reaction (the Mentos Eruption effect)
Anything that provides nucleation of carbon dioxide gas bubbles is going to deny the desired reaction of a necessary reactant.
For specific flavored MoMs, you might need to check with your neighborhood Breaking Bad Chemist☺
re: «Imported is available, but negates any savings over tablets.»
The bottom line is the bottom line.
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Yes, but what you see on Amazon.co.uk is imported from the US. So it is incredibly expensive. $23.64 (£18) for 355 ml vs $5.54 (£4.22) for 250ml
About 3 times as expensive :-(