The year was 1618, the place, Epsom, England. The farmer had just dug a well for his cows but the animals refused to drink the water. On tasting the water, he quickly discovered why. It was bitter! The water was undrinkable, but it would do for washing, he figured. That鈥檚 when he discovered that rubbing his body with the bitter water had a therapeutic effect. A skin rash disappeared, and his aching muscles stopped aching. When the water evaporated, it left behind some white crystals. The farmer had discovered 鈥淓psom salt!鈥� To this day, magnesium sulfate is marketed as 鈥渂ath salt鈥� to be added to water to a bath to relieve stress and soothe aching muscles. For people who prefer a balm, there is magnesium chloride incorporated into a base of oils and waxes. Magnesium compounds fulfil another role. When ingested, they are effective laxatives. 鈥淢ilk of Magnesia鈥� which is a solution of magnesium hydroxide is an effective therapy for constipation.
Magnesium is present in the form of minerals such as dolomite (calcium magnesium carbonate) and periclase (magnesium oxide) and magnesium ions are also present in seawater and in chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants that makes photosynthesis, the chemical reaction upon which all life depends. Magnesium sulfate can be added to soil that has been depleted of magnesium to increase crop yield.
Elemental magnesium was first isolated by Humphry Davy in 1865 through the electrolysis of a solution of magnesium oxide. It is a bright silvery substance that reacts with water to form magnesium hydroxide and hydrogen gas. Magnesium metal burns readily, and magnesium powder was commonly ignited during the early days of photography to illuminate a scene. Later, this was succeeded by the flashbulb containing strips of magnesium. Tiny fragments scraped from a bar of magnesium can be lit to readily start a campfire. Magnesium is very light for a metal and becomes strong enough when alloyed with other metals to be used for 鈥渕ag wheels鈥� on cars as well as for airplane parts.
The adult human body also contains a small amount of magnesium, about 25 grams, mostly in the bones and tissues with about 1% circulating in the blood. The amount may be small, but the importance of magnesium is huge. Enzymes are biological catalysts that are required by the chemical reactions that are going on in the body all the time that together constitute life. In about 300 of these reactions the enzymes require magnesium as a co-factor in order to function. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) the molecule the body uses to produce energy also needs magnesium to do its job. Muscles cannot contract, the heart cannot beat, and cells cannot produce DNA without magnesium.
All the magnesium the body needs has to be acquired from the diet and the ideal daily intake for adults has been determined to be in the 300-400 milligram range. To get an idea of amounts, three ounces of meat has about 30 mgs, a banana 40, a baked potato 40, a serving of oatmeal 50, two tablespoons of peanut butter 50, a serving of spinach 100, a handful of nuts 100 and an ounce of pumpkin seeds 150. Many people do not consume the 鈥渋deal鈥� amount but that doesn鈥檛 mean they are deficient because the kidneys are very adept at regulating excretion. If there is less coming in, less is excreted to maintain homeostasis so that most people do not need a dietary supplement.
There are some situations in which actual deficiency can occur. Alcoholics, people suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and type 2 diabetics can benefit from supplements which are readily available. Magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate and magnesium chloride are all readily absorbed. There is some, albeit weak evidence for magnesium to treat migraine, perhaps even in a topical form. Anecdotal evidence also exists for magnesium helping with sleep although clinical trials have only shown an uncertain association with sleep disorders.
Unfortunately, evidence is not a requirement for 鈥渨ellness鈥� promoters, bloggers and supplement manufacturers. The internet is rife with websites and videos that call magnesium the 鈥渕agic mineral鈥� and identify tiredness, constipation, muscle and stomach cramps, palpitations, tingling in the hands or feet, headaches and anxiety as symptoms of magnesium deficiency. While this is correct, these symptoms also occur with numerous other conditions that are far more likely than magnesium deficiency. 聽
Perhaps the greatest proponent of magnesium pseudoscience and magnesium supplements is a Carolyn Dean, a defrocked physician whose Canadian license was revoked for using unscientific methods such as hair analysis, iridology, colonic irrigation, coffee enemas and other unproven methodologies to treat patients. She is the author of the ridiculously titled 鈥淢agnesium Miracle,鈥� and sells a magnesium supplement under the name ReMag that she claims to have created and that is made of 鈥減ico鈥� sized minerals that are 鈥渟mall enough to enter the cell and get rid of any toxins that may be within them.鈥� This is absurd. The supplement is a solution of magnesium chloride that she certainly did not create and 鈥減ico鈥� which means one trillionth has no meaning in this case.
Magnesium is certainly a necessary nutrient, but it does not perform miracles. A 鈥渉ealthy diet鈥� that is based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains provides sufficient amounts. While magnesium supplements are harmless and are fine to try for sleep problems or migraines, claims that they can cure are the conditions listed by the likes of Carolyn Dean amount to pseudoscientific gibberish.
