Magnesium plays a key role in the human body, influencing the skeletal, immune, nervous, and circulatory systems. It is extremely biologically active, participating in numerous metabolic transformations. It activates about 300 enzymes that participate in the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids.
Magnesium regulates heart function by influencing the conduction system. It slows down the conduction and excitability of the heart muscle, preventing its hypoxia, which is why it is called the guardian of the heart and arteries. The relationship between magnesium and hormonal balance is also known. It has been shown that it affects the synthesis of insulin, the storage of catecholamines such as adrenaline or dopamine, and the release of parathyroid hormone responsible for, among others, the regulation of calcium and phosphate metabolism. Due to its multidirectional impact on the human body, it is used in treating and preventing many diseases, including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, neurological and mental, migraine and osteoporosis.
Despite numerous advantages, effective magnesium supplementation is challenging due to the poor solubility and absorption of inorganic forms such as magnesium oxide or carbonate. For this reason, it is worth choosing organic forms such as taurate, lactate, glycinate (bisglycinate), glycerophosphate and citrate, which are characterized by high bioavailability.
Magnesium supplementation should be implemented not only in the case of observed macroelement deficiencies. According to recent clinical trial results, it may also be particularly helpful in people with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is the simultaneous occurrence of many risk factors, such as obesity, hypertension, and insulin resistance, which increase the patient’s chance of developing serious diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, or ischemic heart disease. Metabolic syndrome affects almost 20-30% of the world’s population.
In 2021, German researchers decided to check how additional magnesium citrate supplementation would affect blood pressure and HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) in people with MS with normal magnesium levels. Glycated hemoglobin is the primary indicator of high blood sugar levels, resulting from the binding of excess free glucose molecules with red blood cells.
Forty-two patients were divided into two groups; one took magnesium citrate at a dose of 400 mg for twelve weeks, while the other was a control group that did not take the magnesium preparation. At the beginning of the study and after 12 weeks, many parameters were checked, such as blood pressure, glycated hemoglobin, plasma glucose, magnesium and calcium concentrations in blood, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, vitamin D, creatinine, interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein.
Twelve weeks of supplementation with magnesium citrate at a dose of 400 mg has contributed to a significant increase in the level of Mg in the blood, as well as a reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (at the beginning of the study: 145/85 mmHg and after 12 weeks: 121/79 mmHg). Glycated hemoglobin decreased significantly in the supplementation group (from 6.43% to 6.15%), showing significant differences from the control group. Moreover, vitamin D levels improved significantly when people were taking magnesium. It should be noted, however, that its level improved in both groups; this effect could be caused by the period in which the research was carried out, i.e., the end of spring and summer. However, it is worth paying attention to magnesium’s crucial role in vitamin D metabolism, which could have contributed to higher results in the supplementation group.
This study confirmed the positive effect of magnesium citrate on reducing glycated hemoglobin and on blood pressure in people with normal magnesium levels. Thus, magnesium supplementation should not be limited only to people who are deficient in macronutrients. It plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of many diseases, such as the metabolic syndrome described above. It is worth remembering that a key element of its treatment is lifestyle change, including supplementation, among others, magnesium citrate.
Based on the article: Magnesium citrate supplementation decreased blood pressure and HbA1c in normomagnetic subjects with metabolic syndrome: a 12-week, placebo-controlled, double-blinded pilot trial. Afitska K, Clavel J, Kisters K, Vormann J, Werner T. Magnes Res 2021; 34(3): 130-139. Doi: 10.1684/ mrh.2021.0489.
