Vol. 40-Unlock the Benefits of Magnesium for Better Sleep, Memory, and Mood

Quick Look 👀

1 oz of water to garden your health

1 Budding Tweet

2 Weeds to avoid

2 Websites to cultivate your garden

Random Musings

Reading Time: 7 minutes and 3 seconds.

This week’s newsletter is brought to you by magnesium.

I routinely prescribe magnesium after heart surgery for many reasons, but one is to prevent electrical arrhythmias.

So what else is it important for? We all know it’s a critical electrolyte that plays a vital role in several physiological processes in the human body.

But what are those “processes”? and how can you take advantage of its benefits?

Action to water your health

Magnesium is an essential dietary mineral and the second most prevalent intracellular cation in the body. It is required for over 600 enzymes and is crucial in energy production, carbohydrate metabolism, and DNA and protein synthesis.

Magnesium is also an antagonist (opposing effects) of calcium and is required for vitamin D synthesis and activation.

Ok, we get it, it’s important. Don’t I get enough in my diet?

Poor Magnesium Intake Is common in developed countries due to Western diets' low content of these foods and high content of refined grains and processed foods.

Some common symptoms of magnesium deficiency include:

• Neuromuscular manifestations such as tremors, tetany, convulsions, weakness, apathy, delirium, and coma.

• Cardiovascular manifestations.

• Abnormalities of calcium metabolism such as hypocalcemia, hypoparathyroidism, parathyroid hormone (PTH) resistance, and decreased synthesis of calcitriol.

• Hypokalemia (low potassium levels).

• Associated with a variety of conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and osteoporosis.

How can I get more Magnesium in my diet? Abundant non-supplemental sources of magnesium are leafy green vegetables, nuts, legumes, and beans, as well as animal tissue.

In case you’re curious here are the top three foods with the highest concentration of magnesium:

1. King Oyster mushrooms: These mushrooms contain 740+/-230mcg/g of magnesium.

2. Basella Alba (Indian Spinach): This spinach contains 114+/-1mg/100g of magnesium.

3. Velvet Beans: These seeds have a high concentration of magnesium, although the exact amount can vary.

But What About Supplements? Let’s look at your options.

1. Magnesium citrate: This is a common form of magnesium supplement that is well-absorbed by the body. It's also relatively inexpensive and can help with constipation due to its laxative effect. However, some people may experience diarrhea or stomach upset when taking this form of magnesium.

2. Magnesium Diglycinate: This form of magnesium is chelated to the amino acid glycine, which can enhance its absorption. It's also less likely to cause digestive issues than other forms of magnesium. However, it can be more expensive than other forms.

3. Magnesium oxide: Has lower bioavailability than other forms but contains more elemental magnesium by weight. Its low bioavailability makes it useful for laxative purposes or as a filler. Effervescent tablets can increase their bioavailability by 10%.

4. Magnesium Threonate: This form of magnesium has been shown to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, which may make it effective for improving cognitive function and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, it can be more expensive than other forms.

Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for Magnesium

Sleep. I wrote about magnesium in “The 14-day Playbook for Better Sleep” here is the snippet.

Learning. Magnesium plays an important role in NMDA ( N-methyl-D-aspartate, which is a type of glutamate receptor in the brain) receptor signaling, which is involved in synaptic plasticity and memory function.

Magnesium-L-Threonate supplementation has been shown to enhance memory and learning in both young and old rats [2]. Human trials exist with promising results as potential cognitive enhancer.

Fat Absorption. Magnesium on serum lipid levels after a high-fat meal, it was found that taking 500mg of magnesium with a fatty meal reduced the area under the curve (AUC) of triglycerides in the blood.

Magnesium is thought to form insoluble complexes with fatty acids in the gut, which prevents their absorption and may contribute to the reduction of triglyceride levels in the blood [3].

Too Much Magensium. Before you go running off and taking a truck full of magnesium supplements, remember the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), I posted the image earlier.

Side effects ( too much): The biggest side effect of magnesium supplementation is digestive issues, such as diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps. In “HEALTHY” people. If you have an underlying kidney disease or otherwise these changes.

Whos At Risk for Lower Magnesium?

• Alcohol abuse: Excessive alcohol intake can lead to a poor diet low in magnesium, digestive issues that impair absorption, and organ problems that can flush out magnesium through urine.

• Older age: Elderly people have lower magnesium intake due to decreased absorption in the gut, increased excretion in urine, and medication use for chronic diseases.

• Malabsorption conditions: Diseases that interfere with digestion can lower magnesium absorption, especially when they affect the ileum, the largest segment of the small intestine where most magnesium is absorbed. Surgery to remove the ileum can also increase the risk of deficiency.

• Type 2 diabetes mellitus: Insulin resistance or uncontrolled diabetes can cause excess urine production, which may flush out magnesium from the body.

Action:

If you think you’re at risk for low magnesium, get some blood work done. Measurement of Magnesium can be done in serum (from the blood) but does not tend to correlate well with bodily stores of Magnesium ions.

Better measurements are erythrocytic (red blood cell) and mononuclear (white blood cell).

After researching this myself, I’m going to supplement with the RDA-recommended dose.

Level up resources

Harvard's in-depth explanation of Magnesium

National Institute of Health Magnesium 

Budding Tweet

This study found higher dietary magnesium intake is related to better brain health, especially in women. The researchers wanted to investigate the association between dietary magnesium intake and brain volumes and white matter lesions in middle to early old age.

It’s also interesting that the observed neuroprotective effect of higher dietary magnesium intake in the “high-decreasing” trajectory appeared to be greater in post-menopausal women than in pre-menopausal women.

Weeds to avoid

1️⃣ If you’re taking multivitamins for “general health” please consider what you’re replacing. I wrote about it in Vol. 35, I stopped taking multivitamins and only consume targeted vitamins after checking my bloodwork. I do consume nootropics and adaptogens as well.

2️⃣ Are you due for a colonoscopy? or other checkups? check the US Preventative Services Task Force Guidelines. Has up-to-date recommendations. Save this link for the future.

Websites to cultivate your garden

mpeaceful: I use the Pomodoro technique all the time. This website has soothing music, visuals, and a timer all in one.

Arc Browser: Has awesome design, functionality, and productivity workflows. The company is always shipping new updates as well. They just released the iOS version. If you need an invite LMK I have 5 left.

Random Musings

1. Protein farts I. We've all had them or have experienced them (💨). It’s caused by consuming high-protein foods because they are harder to digest and require more effort from the digestive system. When protein is broken down in the body, gases such as hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide are produced as byproducts.

2. Protein Farts II. Ok, so the type of protein is more important. For example, protein from protein shakes contains added sugars that will destroy your bowels. I’ve experienced this from low-quality protein shakes before.

3. Meticulous Espresso. This beautiful espresso machine uses AI, has a built-in scale, and has customizable settings to infinite.

4. Has anyone tried magic spoon cereal? The ingredient list looks decent. The use of peanut flour and extract provides a natural peanut flavor and is a good source of plant-based protein. The addition of cocoa powder, turmeric extract, and spirulina extract provides natural color.

5. Get 500 dollars by donating stool, for fecal transplants. See if you qualify here.

You're an awesome human

Martin, CEO of braincrumbss

Stuff I created, that you might find helpful.

1. I created a sleep 💤 course after 6+ months of reading books, research studies, blogs, and podcasts. I wrote a post that includes a sneak preview of the content too. In this course, I'll send you 1 effective way to get sleep better, longer, or faster a day for 14 days. Since you're reading this here is a discount code to get 25% off "prq6qbe"

2. This product is free. It is the most comprehensive tool for digital nomads who end up with diarrhea 💩. How to treat it, when to worry, and what to pack. Everything. I spend an embarrassing amount of time writing this. Yes, this was created from personal experience on an overseas trip 😮