Best oral magnesium to take?

Since the Bluebonnet magnesium tanked, I've been trying a few different ones, Doctor's Best, Seeking Health, and the new Bluebonnet buffered magnesium. I'm not that happy with any of them. So wondering if there is something else out there, or if one of these is really a good one I should be sticking with?

I'm interested only in oral magnesium. I haven't had good luck with the oils and other methods.

Thanks,
Nancy

Nancy - have you used the magnesium bicarbonate water made from the WW concentrate? That offers the dual benefit of a highly beneficial form of magnesium plus the alkalizing effect to manage tissue pH.

What is it about those you've tried that don't you like?

Jackie

I've been taking ReMag for many weeks now. It's the only form I can take in large quantities without having any bowel issues. Here is a link to the product:

[rnareset.com]

Travis

I take all of the following daily:

2 g/day (1 tsp) as di magnesium malate powder (made by Albion for human consumption, packaged for the equine market): <[shop.performanceequinenutrition.com]
1 g/day as magnesium acetate: <[www.afibbers.org]
0.7g/day (if I remember the chemistry) as magnesium chloride = 200 ml of 1/2 cup nigari (mag chloride flakes) dissolved in 2 liters water: <[naturalimport.com]
0.3 g/day (200 ml) as Waller Water Concentrate <[www.afibbers.org]
Here is Erling's description of mag bicarb research: <[www.afibbers.org]

If I'm in I bind and all I can find is mag oxide, I'll take that & it works for me, too. For me, they all work.

I've taken Dean's product, ReMag, and it works as well, but no differently for me.

George



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2015 10:23PM by GeorgeN.

Thanks folks. I'll give the ReMeg a shot.

The WW just isn't for me. I'm just not the kind of person who has the patience to create things like this (managed it once). The oils just don't work.

Nancy



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/20/2015 01:53PM by Nancy.

I use Swanson's Albion Chelated Magnesium Glycinate

Is this not a good form?? I have had luck with this a LSV8 ev day

Nancy,

Why are you unhappy with the Mg compositions you have taken? Do you have reason to believe they are not working for you. The reason I ask is that I too have struggled to find the right Mg. I was tested with both an Exatest and a blood test for mg and found a similar deficiency in both tests . So the results correlated. I then took 600-800mg per day of Dr Best for sixty days and had another blood test. The second test showed no change in my mg deficiency so I concluded that Dr Best was not woking for me. I suspect it is due to something they use to bind their tablet that prevents absorption. I am now using the Seeking Health powder form of Mg Glycinate and will be tested in a couple of weeks. I am really hopeful that the Seeking Health powder form is working because it is so easy to take and absorption is not affected by binders, etc in the product. I will let you know if my numbers improve.

I think the only real way we can know for sure if our Mg levels change is with before and after testing.

Bill

Bill- Would you mind posting your Exatest results for all of the components and ratios? I think it would be useful for new readers.

Other than noticing improvement of various, common magnesium deficiency symptoms, you're correct, there is no way to know for sure other than accurate testing.

Please realize that repletion of magnesium inside cells can take a long time; and in some cases, the patient never does become fully repleted... so it's an ongoing endeavor.

Jackie




Seeking Health magnesium glycinate chelate - should be an effective product as Dr. Lynch is well known for his specific attention to which nutrients are effective for what ailment.
[www.seekinghealth.com]

Healthy Origins also has an appropriately-chelated Magnesium bisglycinate powder as well
[www.iherb.com]

The label on Swanson chelated magnesium glycinate indicates it's buffered....which may or may not be an issue. But, Swanson also has a bulk powder chelated magnesium...which is not buffered. [www.swansonvitamins.com]

Jackie,

My Exatest was done in Oct. 2014 and the results were:

Intercellular levels -

Magnesium 33.7 (Range 34.0-42.0)
Calcium 3.6 (Range 3.2-5.0)
Potassium 115.2 (range 80.0-240.0)
Sodium 4.4 (Range 3.8-5.8)
Chloride 3.7 (Range 3.4-6.0)
Phosphorus 15.2 (Range 14.2-17.0)

Ratios

Phosphorus/Calcium 5.1 (Range 3.5-6.0)
Mag/Cal 8.0 (Range6.1-12.2)
Mag/Phosphorus 2.2 (Range 1.8-3.0)
Potassium/Cal 22.4 (Range 19.1-38.0)
Potassium/Magnesium 2.9 (Range 2.4-4.8)
Potassium/Sodium 20.6 (Range 19.4-38.9)

At the same time I had a blood test for Mg which owned a value of 1.6 (Range 1.8-2.4)

So both he Exatest and the blood test showed I was slightly below the lower level of normal. I was surprised that the test results showed so close a correlation as I understand sometimes they can be very different. Because they are close I have assumed I can be reasonably confident my blood test levels of Mg are pretty accurate. So I have used the blood tests to test my success with Mg Glycerinate compositions. As I indicated after 60 days of Dr Best at 600-800mg per day I was disappointed that I showed no change in Mg serum values. I have now been using Seeking Health Powder, the non-buffered formula, and will test in a couple of weeks to see if I have raised my Mag levels. I got sidetracked off this test when I had my recent ATRICLIP surgery but I am now back taking the supplement.

One thing I can say about blood tests for Mag is that the results can vary from one test to another even without supplements. I have a long string of serum tests with a range of results, all low but different.

If one is experiencing ectopics or feels their heart banging away when they lie down at night he/she can be reasonably confident that he/she is low on Potassium. I know of no such way of determining if Mag is low. I did read a paper from the Magnesium library that said that a Mag deficiency can be manifested in both the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The authors said the evidence of deficiency in the central nervous system is a general feeling of anxiety or nervousness. In the peripheral nervous system the manifestation is restless leg - that is twitches or fasciculations in the muscle of the leg, usually felt when seated or lying down. So if one become sensitive to those feelings they may get some evidence of Mag deficiency but overall it is hard to detect.

Bill

Bill - Thanks for taking the time to publish your results.

Keep in mind that while it appears you have a correlation between the blood levels of magnesium and Intracellular levels, that’s actually not the case. While you are in range with the Exatest, your levels are still on the low side.

Also pay particular attention to your potassium numbers which (also) while in range are on the low side and the focus on potassium becomes even more important than magnesium, once IC Mg is optimized, because potassium is what stabilizes electrical conductivity. (But remember that just adding potassium alone isn’t a remedy… the IC Mg has to be in optimized first).

I’m taking time to emphasize this, Bill, because I want you to fully appreciate what those numbers indicate and to not rely on serum values alone. You’ve had the Atriclip and look forward to the end of this Afib stuff…so managing the crucial electrolytes from here on out is high priority.

At this link, The Exatest Interpretation guide was published that helps clarify the importance of the ratios. [www.afibbers.org]


At that same link, Hans offered the following post about the reliability of comparing serum values to intracellular levels…


"Afibbers are magnesium-deficient"
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT. Magnesium (Mg) is an enormously important mineral being a cofactor in over 300 enzymatic reactions continuously taking place in the body. Magnesium is also a vital component of the skeletal structure and about 65% of the body’s magnesium stores are found in bone, another 34% is found in transcellular fluids, and the remaining 1% is found in extracellular fluids such as blood. It is thus clear that measuring magnesium in blood serum is not likely to be a very accurate measure of the body’s overall magnesium status..

There is increasing evidence that magnesium plays a crucial role in preventing and terminating cardiac arrhythmias. A group of cardiologists and pharmacologists at the Hartford Hospital reasoned that a pre-procedure infusion of magnesium might help prevent the acute development of atrial fibrillation following a radiofrequency ablation for this disorder. As a first step in proving or disproving this hypothesis, they decided to do a trial in which half the participants would have saline solution (0.9% sodium chloride) with 4 grams of magnesium sulfate (800 mg elemental magnesium) infused over a 15-minute period just prior to accessing the left atrium in a standard PVI procedure, while the other half would just have a saline solution infusion.

The trial involved 22 patients with paroxysmal or persistent afib. Samples of venous blood (for determination of extracellular Mg concentration) and buccal scrapings (scrapings from inside the cheek) were collected before the start of the procedure, 15 minutes after the completion of the infusion, at the end of the ablation procedure, and at 6 hours after the infusion. The blood samples (serum) were analyzed for extracellular magnesium concentration and the buccal scrapings were analyzed (using the EXAtest) for intracellular magnesium concentration as well as for concentrations of calcium, potassium, sodium, chloride, and phosphate. At least one study has shown that there is an excellent correlation between the magnesium (intracellular) content of buccal scrapings and that of myocytes (heart cells). The major findings are as follows:

• None of the study participants were deficient in Mg at baseline when considering blood serum values only. The average serum Mg concentration was 2.08 mg/dL versus the normal lower limit of 1.6 mg/dL.

• The majority (89%) of participants were magnesium-deficient at baseline when considering intracellular (EXAtest) values only. The average intracellular Mg concentration was 32.2 mEq/IU versus a normal lower limit of 33.9 mEq/IU. NOTE: The unit is defined as x-ray intensity (peak divided by background) divided by unit cell volume.

• There was no correlation whatsoever between serum magnesium and intracellular magnesium concentrations.

• Serum levels of Mg rose rapidly in the magnesium infusion group 15 minutes post-infusion and, although declining over the 6-hour observation period, remained considerably higher than the level in the placebo group (saline infusion only).

• Intracellular level of Mg increased rapidly in the magnesium infusion group 15 minutes post infusion and continued to rise throughout the 6-hour observation period. Somewhat surprisingly, the intracellular Mg level also increased somewhat (over baseline) in the placebo group over the 6-hour period. The Hartford researchers speculate that the ablation procedure itself, most likely the anaesthesia, facilitates the transfer of magnesium from serum to intracellular space.

• The intracellular calcium concentration increased significantly in the Mg infusion group post infusion, but gradually reverted to baseline over the 6-hour period.

• The intracellular potassium concentration increased by about 50% from baseline to the end of the PVI procedure and then began to drop off at the 6-hour mark.

The authors of the report conclude that future studies are needed to evaluate the electrophysiologic benefits of magnesium repletion and the effects of routine procedures and anaesthesia on intracellular electrolytes.
Shah, SA, et al. The impact of magnesium sulfate on serum magnesium concentrations and intracellular electrolyte concentrations among patients undergoing radio frequency catheter ablation. Connecticut Medicine, Vol. 72, May 2008, pp. 261-65

Editors comment: A 2006 LAF Survey (LAFS-11) found that, among a small sample of 7 afibbers who had EXAtest results, all 7 were either below or very close to the lower normal limit. The Hartford report provides important additional evidence to support the conclusion that afibbers are likely low in intracellular magnesium even though their blood serum levels may be normal. It is also of interest that replenishing magnesium via an infusion not only increases intracellular Mg concentration, but also increases intracellular potassium levels. This is all good support for our long-held conviction that lone afibbers with normal kidney function are likely to benefit from supplementing with magnesium, potassium, and taurine (facilitates the uptake of Mg and K)."

I think it is particularly important that everyone realizes that the results of the regular blood test for magnesium are useless.

Hans

There are other quotes from the science that indicate the same fact about comparing serum and IC levels of magnesium. Just a note of caution to you not to rely heavily or continually serum lab tests. The same is true for the
Red Blood Cell magnesium status... which has also been covered in many other posts here.

I wish you the very best now that the AtriClip is in place. Your information has been very helpful and comforting to me since I'll be evaluated in another 6 weeks or so about my LAA clearance velocity.

Enjoy blessed NSR for the rest of your life, Bill.
Best to you,

Jackie

Bill,

How have you been taking your Seeking Health powder? I have capsule filling equipment (for my potassium), so had used it for that, but after 6 weeks or so (that's what I give each new kind) there really was no change. I'm wondering if I wasn't taking enough? For me, Mag deficiency can show itself through leg cramps.With the old Bluebonnet I had stopped having them at all for years, now when they show up I figure that I'm not getting enough magnesium again.

Nancy

Nancy,

I take the Seeking Health powder by the scoop (that is included in the powder) and mix it with a few ounces of water. According to the label on the tub of powder 1 scoop equals approximately 2.5g. I take a heaping scoop twice per day. To sweeten the taste I add a 1/2 teaspoon of Jarrow D-Ribose. The resulting mixture tastes pleasant.

Jackie

Thanks for the info on my testing. I do not want to leave the impression that I rely on the serum tests for Mg, I am aware that they can be misleading. But, I can't afford to have an Exatest every few months. I was happy to see that my serum and Exatest results correlated, so I use the serum when testing for efficacy of the mg composition I am trying. I plan to do another Exatest this winter.

Bill



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/2015 11:10AM by billk.

George,

Where do you purchase your magnesium acetate?