There’s a lot of buzz these days about Magnesium Threonate and its health benefits. The fact is magnesium is a requirement of the human body and helps with many processes. It’s inclusion in about 300 enzymes throughout the body helps with energy elevation, healthy nerves, food digestion, and other critical bodily functions.

Being one of the most abundant minerals in the human body, it’s necessary to maintain healthy balance overall. Many people do this through a magnesium rich diet. However, for those that fall short, selecting the right supplement might be a good alternative. This brings us the next concern, which is do you maintain a healthy level of magnesium?

Symptoms of Low Magnesium

Unfortunately, often the symptoms of low magnesium are not exclusive and may come from other conditions. Therefore, the best way to determine the magnesium level in your body is to call your doctor and ask for a blood test.

However, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), some of the signs of a low magnesium level are as follows:

1. Anxiety and depression
2. Appetite loss
3. Bacterial or fungal infections
4. Behavioral disorders
5. Erectile dysfunction
6. Fatigue
7. Headache
8. Hypertension or high blood pressure
9. Insomnia
10. Kidney damage
11. Liver damage
12. Mood swings
13. Muscle cramps and weakness
14. Nausea
15. Nutrient deficiencies that include potassium, calcium, along with vitamins B1 and K
16. Osteoporosis
17. Peroxynitrite damage that leads to other illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease, glaucoma, migraine headaches, and multiple sclerosis
18. PMS symptoms that are harsh
19. Restless leg syndrome
20. Tooth decay

Magnesium Lowering Medications

There are certain medications that might lower the level of magnesium in your body. So, be sure to ask your medical professional about this supplement. To give place to start, below you will find a list of medications that lower magnesium levels in most people.

1. Antacids
2. Aromatase inhibitors
3. Blood pressure meds
4. Corticosteroids
5. Immunosuppressants

Foods High in Magnesium

Food as a supplement is a great way to think and eat. Also, combining foods high in magnesium with a good supplement might even be better. So, to help you find that healthy balance, here are some foods to consider adding to your diet. This table sorts in descending order for the Daily Value Percentage.

Nuts High in Magnesium

As you can easily see by the tables below, many varieties of nuts are rich in magnesium. It is also worth noting that this mineral is ninth in the universe in abundance. Moreover, it is in our soil in abundance, so it only makes sense that a food grown from the dirt of the earth will have a high level of magnesium.

The History & Background

The responsibility for the discovery of magnesium threonate goes to a neuroscience team at Tsinghua University in Beijing and MIT. This came after many years of research and study into findings that suggest magnesium is responsible for multitude of brain functions.

The challenge is to find the right salts to combine with the magnesium to avoid diarrhea due to lack of absorption by the body. Consequently, finding the right absorption level to break through the blood brain barrier is the goal of any supplement manufacturer.

For this reason, the premise behind the development of magnesium threonate is to provide the best ability to cross the blood brain barrier. In an animal study, the results suggest that this combination wins over other magnesium salt forms.

Another recent study entitled, “The Use of Magnesium L-Threonate for the Enhancement of Learning and Memory in People With Mild to Moderate Dementia”, looks at better brain functions from using this supplement. However, this study is not yet published.

What is Magnesium Threonate?

Magnesium threonate is known scientifically as a chelate. First, a chelate is a metal (magnesium) attached to a negatively charged anion (threanoic acid.) In this instance, the reason for chelating is to achieve greater bioavailability. A chelate is a compound that contains a ligand that bonds to an atom at two or more points.

The word chelate basically means the ability to combine with something. Also, it is worth noting that the word “chelate” derives from the Greek word for “claw”.

Specifically, magnesium threonate is a salt that is a result of combining magnesium and threonic acid (which derives from metabolically breaking down vitamin C.) So, with that, the next question is why is there such great interest in chelating magnesium and threonate?

Many believe that taking magnesium threonate in supplemental form will result in healthier brain functions which leads to improvements in overall memory and cognitive functions.

In a study with animals who took magnesium threonate, the results were conclusive that this combo work better than other types of magnesium chelates.

However, for a long time, the issue was that magnesium supplements didn’t work effectively. So, people tried taking larger dosages which only results in diarrhea and general stomach discomfort, so that’s not a good solution. Enter chelating and magnesium threonate for better absorption or in other words, better bioavailability. That’s a win-win for everyone who chooses this supplement!

Why Take Magnesium Threonate?

With magnesium deficiency in approximately 70% of the American population, it’s important to find a good supplement that works well for you. First, the team at MIT and Tsinghua University in Beijing concluded that increases in the amount of magnesium by  supplementation improves memory and slows the effects of lessening neural capabilities associated with aging.

Moreover, magnesium threonate was developed at UCLA by a scientist with the published results entitled, “Enhancement of Learning and Memory by Elevating Brain Magnesium.” Not surprisingly, this magnesium compound shows results of enhanced learning, better memory,  and better short-term and long-term memory.

Now let’s go over a few of the benefits you might derive from taking this supplement.

1. Male Pattern Baldness – Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is a hormone that is responsible for male pattern baldness. One Korean study entitled, “Preventable effect of L-threonate, an ascorbate metabolite, on androgen-driven balding via repression of dihydrotestosteroneinduced dickkopf-1 expression in human hair dermal papilla cells”, suggests that threonate causes DHT to be less potent and may lead to lessening of hair loss. This is promising but needs more research and human studies.
2. Memory Enhancements – Again, the UCLA study indicates the benefits of better memory, and better short-term and long-term memory as a result of elevation of brain magnesium.
3. Reduces Anxiety – You’re probably aware that anxiety disorders are the number one mental health issue in the world today. The results of this study shows promise of relief or lowering of anxiety. Additionally, inflammation leads to anxiety and magnesium also has excellent anti-inflammatory qualities. In fact, anxiety may be a symptom of magnesium deficiency.
4. Supports Bone Health – Magnesium is necessary for the human body to absorb calcium. In fact, a diet high in magnesium often increases in mineral bone density.
5. Relief of Constipation – Most doctors will agree that magnesium deficiency and not enough water is a primary cause of constipation. In fact, a study with elderly patients suggests that some forms of magnesium are more effective than bulk-laxative.

Magnesium Threonate Side Effects

As with any type of magnesium supplement, be sure not to take more than you need. Follow the dosage instructions on the manufacturer’s labels carefully. Below is a guideline of dosages to avoid the unpleasant diarrhea that comes from taking too high a dosage of magnesium at one time. It is also important to note that the side effect of diarrhea happens with any brand.

Guideline of Recommended Dosages

Before getting to dosages, please know that it’s always best to take magnesium on an empty stomach so that it doesn’t compete with other minerals. However, some people find it advantageous to take it with a meal to give their body an opportunity to adjust when first starting this supplement regimen.

Possible Drug Interactions

Because magnesium threonate is a relatively new discovery, there isn’t a lot of information about interactions with medications, however, for the more common citrate combination the following medications are only a few that you will want to discuss with your doctor before starting.

• Abacavir/dolutegravir/lamivudine
• Adderall (amphetamine/dextroamphetamine)
• Aspirin (low grade)
• Dolutegravir
• Lexapro (escitalopram)
• Linaclotide
• Linzess (linaclotide)
• Lyrica (pregabalin)
• MiraLAX (polyethylene glycol 3350)
• Tivicay (dolutegravir)
• Triumeq (abacavir/dolutegravir/lamivudine
• Tylenol (acetaminophen)

Which Brand is Best?

Interestingly, there one patent for this supplement and it is held by the parent company Magceutics/AIDP. Not everyone gets to sell this formula so, look for the parent company brand name of Magtein. If the manufacturer is legitimate, you will find the name Magtein on the label, either on the front or the back – regardless of the label or product name it’s sold under.

Where to Buy Magnesium Threonate

You can find this supplement in either pill, capsule, or bulk powder form. This is a higher-end supplement and you won’t find it in every store you go in. If you live in the Australia, Canada, or the United States, you most will likely have to order it online. For brick and mortar stores in the US, try the Vitamin Shoppe, Whole Foods, or GNC. Try Amazon for bulk powder.

In Summary

This wonderful earth element magnesium in combination with threonate is shown in studies to be a supplement that helps ease the symptoms of magnesium deficiency.

Some of the benefits of magnesium threonate include lowering anxiety, help with male pattern baldness, appetite loss, memory enhancements, liver damage, good bone health, constipation, and others.

Additionally, combining foods high in magnesium with a good supplement is a good choice for many. It is worth noting that the family of nuts is a great way to eat foods high in magnesium and it’s probably the most convenient food. However, there are other foods such as spinach, black beans, and peanuts that are also high in magnesium.

This supplement is a chelate that combines a metal (magnesium) with a negatively charged anion which in this case is threonic acid. By virtue of the chelating process, greater bioavailability is achievable for a more effective supplement.

We invite you to continue your research into this and other supplements to find the right supplement regimen for you.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products discussed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.