The FastDay Forum

Another mineral a lot of people on the forum talk about is Magnesium.

I remember a fitness trainer i met swore by Magnesium as one of the 3 things he suggested everyone should take. (i cant remember the other two!)

Magnesium.. Do you just take it naturally or in supplement form.?
Do we all normally get it enough in our diets
Is absorption affected by what we eat.
How important is it? Is it all just hype by the health supplement industry?

I used to take magnesium supplements for years - I had a problem with lots of 'extra' heartbeats that caused me a great deal of anxiety, even though I had tests done and they basically told me (that's the impression I got) that I was neurotic (hard not to be when your heart flip flops about in your chest for hours). I read somewhere that magnesium supplements were helpful to counteract arrhythmias so I took them for yonks - and they did seem to help (or maybe that was wishful thinking!) You soon know too if you've taken too much though........

I've just started taking magnesium citrate 200mg caplets from H&B to help with sleep and um, transit. So far so good. I've got OH on them too to help with his anxieties.
Hoping for the best as always :0)

I had lots of weird heartbeats - was very scared but a good checkup at the cardiologist revealed nothing "abnormal" - I was told to take approx 300 mg of magnesium every day for my heart and also for leg cramps I was getting at night. Well, I am taking it and feel it HAS improved but not gone away by any means.

Although I still have some magnesium oxide left in the jar, next time I will buy magnesium citrate, as recommended by Carolyn here, as it is apparently much better absorbed. Carolyn also mentions that it helps with sleeping and so now I take it at night before bed. I need all the help I can get !!!!!!!

Same as AB@AzureBlue ..lovin my magnesium citrate coz its helping me get a more restful sleep..most nights anyways..wd heartily recommend it
Keep meaning to look up where it exists naturally in foods as well x
Good old magnesium i say!

The Magnesium thread didnt seem to cause much excitement.. Any more before I put it "to bed".. gonnna look for another vitamin or mineral .

@Juliana.Rivers this is the first time I have seen this thread, don't lose hope on the interest level

I used to use a magnesium lotion, because I heard there was better absorption through the skin, but it was messy & took a long time to soak in, so the bottle sits on the vanity. I have started taking Magnesium tablets 200 mg. & have noticed better sleep, "transit" & blood sugars. It's only been two weeks, but I think I will continue to take it. If things start to move too quickly, I'll drop to one every other day.

Didn't see this thread before either!

Has anyone tried the Salus Magnesium (from the makers of floradix, it's magnesium in liquid form)? They do a few different ones including a calcium/magnesium/Vit D one, was thinking of giving it a try as I always took their liquid iron when I was pregnant and I was happy with the results.

Otherwise I heard that taking a bath with epsom salt is a good way to get a magnesium fix - anyone tried this?

Here are some of the best 'food' sources of magnesium:
http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/magn ... your-diet/

I use a magnesium oil spray after excercise as I think it really helps with muscle soreness. Its also nice and moisturising! I used to also take tablets but keep forgetting...

@Nicky_94 I have used Epsom salts for other things ( muscle soreness, toe surgery recovery) & I think I must have absorbed the magnesium, because my blood sugars dropped. I did ask my endocrinologist about that, and she said if that was what it did, the drug companies would be out of business! So it could be a spurious correlation, but as mentioned above, mine are better over the last week or so since I added the tablet... Opinion @carorees?

[carorees]

Yes, magnesium can lower blood pressure and also blood glucose, at least in some individuals. This study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24830937 took people who were normal weight but had 'metabolic syndrome' which is to say high blood pressure, high blood glucose, high triglycerides and insulin resistance. They were also found to have low circulating magnesium levels. A supplement of around 300mg of magnesium per day produced significant improvements in blood glucose, blood pressure, triglycerides and insulin resistance.

So, if you have low magnesium and have signs of metabolic syndrome (which includes obesity as well as the things I mentioned above), it may be that a magnesium supplement will help.

As we have already said, magnesium can also help with muscular tension, restless legs syndrome, insomnia and in combination with vitamin D it aids absorption of calcium so helping to prevent osteoporosis.

Thank you for the renewed comments and information. I might think about a magnesium supplement... and thats big not being one accustomed to anything in a bottle. Im scared that by the time ive exhausted the various minerals to create threads, I will be buying 28 different supplements. And no, i dont believe in multivitamins as i think its not a balanced mixture and I don't trust you just get more of some things you dont need and thus you are p.... .g out dollars. Prefer to focus on possible deficiencies.

Are there natural sources that will ensure sufficient magnesium to avoid the pharmacy? Maybe better absorption that way?