How to Identify the Best Magnesium Supplement

The human body needs a wide array of minerals in order to function properly.

Calcium serves as the building blocks for bones, teeth, and nails. Zinc plays a role in your immunity. Iron is needed for the production of red blood cells. Copper maintains healthy nerve cells, and the list goes on.

One of the most important micronutrients for your body is magnesium. Magnesium is “a cofactor in more than 300 enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body, including protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation.”[1] It also works with calcium to build healthy bones, and is critical for the production of the antioxidant glutathione.

Magnesium is often referred to as the "ultimate brain mineral" for several compelling reasons supported by scientific research:

• Neurotransmitter Regulation: Magnesium is involved in the regulation of neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that transmit signals in the brain. It helps maintain a balanced mood, reduces anxiety, and promotes feelings of well-being.

• Nervous System Function: Magnesium plays a key role in supporting the overall functioning of the nervous system. It helps in the transmission of nerve impulses, aiding in cognitive functions such as memory and concentration.

• Synaptic Plasticity: Magnesium is crucial for synaptic plasticity, the brain's ability to adapt and form new neural connections. This is vital for learning and memory.

• Stress Management: Adequate magnesium levels can help mitigate the effects of stress on the brain. It acts as a natural relaxant, calming the nervous system.

• Sleep Regulation: Magnesium promotes better sleep quality by regulating neurotransmitters and reducing insomnia and restless leg syndrome.

Basically, without magnesium, your body is unable to run at optimum capacity. On the other hand, sufficient intake will maintain healthy functioning of all your internal organs and the various systems that keep your body running.

Many foods contain magnesium—including edamame beans, black beans, tempeh, tofu, almonds, and cashews—but in order to get enough magnesium in your day, it’s likely you will need to add a magnesium supplement on top of your daily dietary intake.

Before you hit up local supermarkets or health food stores, it’s important that you know what to look for in the best magnesium supplements and how to identify the very best.

The 7 Different Forms of Magnesium Worth Considering

Did you know that magnesium comes in not just one form, but there are actually many types of magnesium you can take?

Some magnesium supplements are made by combining magnesium with other micronutrients (as you’ll see below) to encourage better absorption, easier digestion, or a wider array of nutrient intake.

Each type of magnesium has its benefits, so it’s worth taking the time to talk about them so you can understand how each type may benefit you.

Magnesium Citrate

Magnesium citrate is essentially magnesium that is bound together with citric acid. While many magnesium supplements are made using these two nutrients, magnesium citrate is also found naturally in most citrus fruits.

Research [2] has proven that magnesium citrate is one of the most bioavailable forms of magnesium, which is to say that it’s easy for your body to absorb and put to use. The human digestive tract is easily able to break it down and absorb it into the bloodstream, there to be distributed to the rest of the body.

Magnesium citrate is known to have a natural laxative effect and can help to alleviate constipation. It may also have possible uses for managing anxiety and depression thanks to its properties as a calming agent.

Magnesium Glycinate

Magnesium glycinate is formed by binding magnesium to glycine, one of the nine amino acids essential for producing muscle.

Magnesium glycinate is very easily absorbed by the body [3], and once it’s absorbed, the mineral works on improving your health (combatting depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress) while the amino acid helps your body to build new muscle tissue. Glycine can also decrease inflammation, combat diabetes and heart disease, and improve sleep quality.

Magnesium Aspartate

Magnesium aspartate is a form of magnesium that is bonded together with aspartic acid. It’s a popular form of magnesium supplement because the chemical process used to make it “has advantages of improved yield, reduced production cost, increased production efficiency and product quality.” [4]

Magnesium aspartate has been proven to be more bioavailable than many other magnesium forms (such as magnesium oxide or even magnesium citrate). In fact, it’s nearly as bioavailable as the magnesium found naturally in food, making it an excellent choice for a supplement.

Older research [5] has identified this form of magnesium as being potentially effective for improving fatigue (a common side effect of magnesium deficiency, given magnesium’s role in energy production) as well as reducing muscle hyper-excitability.

Magnesium Malate

Magnesium malate is magnesium bonded with malic acid, an acid that is found naturally in wine, fruits, and a wide variety of foods.

Because malic acid is an acid our bodies are accustomed to absorbing, magnesium malate is a highly bioavailable form of the supplement [6]. The human digestive tract can easily break it down and absorb it into the bloodstream.

Magnesium malate is also believed to be gentler on the digestive system (great for anyone with digestive tract issues) and will have a lesser laxative effect than other types of magnesium. It has been used to treat fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, but further research is needed to prove conclusively just how effective it can be [7].

Magnesium Orotate

Magnesium orotate is magnesium bonded with orotic acid, a carboxylic acid that was once called Vitamin B13, but has now been established as an acid and not a vitamin [8].

Orotic acid is a precursor to RNA and plays a role in your body’s production of DNA and other genetic materials. By including it in a magnesium supplement, it provides your body with more of both critical building blocks and can lead to notable health improvements.

Magnesium orotate is a popular fitness supplement [9] because it boosts energy production in your cardiovascular tissue, and it’s known to promote improved heart health. One study [10] found that taking magnesium orotate helped to decrease the symptoms of congestive heart failure, and it even increased CHF survival rate.

While it’s highly bioavailable, it doesn’t have the potent laxative effects of other forms of magnesium. This makes it desirable for athletes and anyone who wants the benefits of magnesium without the stool-softening effects.

On the downside, it’s one of the most expensive forms of magnesium.

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Magnesium Taurate

Magnesium taurate is magnesium that is bonded with taurine, one of the nine amino acids essential for building muscle.

Studies have shown [11] that consuming both magnesium and taurine together can help to regulate blood sugar, making it a highly effective form of magnesium for people with diabetes. Animal studies and other research [12] have proven that magnesium taurate has positive effects on lowering blood pressure and combatting hypertension.

Magnesium L-Threonate

Magnesium L-threonate is magnesium bonded with threonic acid, a water-soluble acid that is produced when your body metabolizes Vitamin C.

Research [13] has suggested that this form of magnesium is highly effective for increasing the concentration of magnesium in our brains, which enhances nerve function and cognition. It’s known to be useful for managing age-related memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease, and even depression.

How to Find the Best Magnesium Supplements

Look for Chelated Magnesium

If you’ve paid attention to the types of magnesium listed above, you’ll notice that most of them are magnesium bonded with another nutrient. The process of binding the two nutrients together is called “chelation”.

Chelated magnesium is more stable than magnesium on its own [14], is more easily digested, and the body can use it more easily. It’s also more efficiently transported across intestinal walls and dispersed via the bloodstream.

Take Diverse Form Magnesium

Notice how all the various magnesium types above have different but complementing benefits. Did you know that taking a supplement with as many of these potent forms as possible will increase its benefit on your body?

For example:

• Magnesium citrate is highly effective in increasing water in the colon, making it a potent digestive aid. It also supports muscle and nerve function.

• Magnesium L-threonate is renowned for its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier effectively. It enhances cognitive function, memory, and overall brain health.

• Magnesium taurate is often recommended for cardiovascular health and supporting healthy blood pressure levels.

• Magnesium orotate is highly efficient at increasing energy production, and is often used as a fitness or athletic supplement.

• Magnesium glycinate is known for its high bioavailability and gentle, non-laxative effect; Magnesium glycinate is often recommended for relaxation, stress management, and improved sleep.

It’s important to take a magnesium supplement that will combine effectively the most potent forms of magnesium for optimal function. Not all magnesium supplements are made equal or have the same effects—remember that when looking for a supplement with a particular end goal in mind.

Look for Vitamin B6 in the Formula

Vitamin B6 is incredibly important for the absorption of magnesium.

Magnesium and Vitamin B6 affect similar pathways in the body and can have synchronous effects. Like magnesium, Vitamin B6 can reduce blood pressure, improve neurotransmitter function, and even prevent the side effects of low magnesium intake.

But according to research [15], “vitamin B6 facilitates cellular uptake of magnesium, which both limits excretion and increases its effectiveness”. Not only does it ensure that your body absorbs more magnesium, but it makes it more effective in the body and prevents it from being excreted.

Not all magnesium supplements contain Vitamin B6, so it’s worth looking for the supplements that do. Or, if you can’t find the specific type of magnesium you want that also contains Vitamin B6, you may want to take a separate Vitamin B6 supplement at the same time in order to facilitate absorption.

Wrapping up:

Magnesium is one of the most important micronutrients in your body—without it, your brain, cardiovascular system, and skeletomuscular structure will begin to deteriorate. It is also critical for normal sleep function and supports more than 300 processes and functions in the body.

Often you’ll need to take a magnesium supplement to reach the desired levels of this crucial mineral because you just can’t get enough through natural foods.

However, a magnesium supplement can make a world of difference only if you get the right one. Knowing the most potent forms of magnesium and how they work together to benefit your body, we've put them all together into a single supplement that supports optimal brain function, improves sleep quality and promotes total body relaxation.

Restore Sleep formula is the only formula of its kind on the market that combines the 7 most potent forms of chelated magnesium as well as includes two additional nutrients that boost the effectiveness of this supplement to help achieve deep restorative sleep, enhance cognitive function and improve the relaxation response.

Click here to learn more about Restore Sleep and how it can change your life for the better through providing your body with the best magnesium complex and thus improving your brain function, sleep quality and relaxation response.

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