Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions including ATP production, muscle contraction, nervous system regulation, and DNA synthesis. Roughly 50% of women don't meet the RDA through diet. Different forms serve different purposes — glycinate for sleep, threonate for cognition, citrate for digestion.

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and participates in energy production (it stabilizes ATP), neurotransmitter regulation (it is a natural NMDA receptor antagonist, producing calming effects), muscle function (it opposes calcium in muscle contraction-relaxation cycling), and DNA repair. Deficiency produces fatigue, muscle cramps, poor sleep, elevated blood pressure, and increased anxiety — all common complaints that resolve with adequate magnesium status.

Serum magnesium testing is unreliable because the body tightly regulates blood magnesium at the expense of tissue stores. RBC magnesium is a better test but still imperfect. Most clinicians in longevity practice assume insufficiency is common and supplement accordingly.

The form matters significantly. Magnesium glycinate (bound to glycine) is highly absorbed, well-tolerated, and the glycine itself supports sleep and GABA activity — the best-evidence form for sleep and anxiety. Magnesium L-threonate crosses the blood-brain barrier effectively (originally developed at MIT), with evidence for cognitive support and age-related memory preservation. Magnesium citrate is well-absorbed and has a mild laxative effect — useful for constipation. Magnesium malate supports energy production and is sometimes used for fatigue or fibromyalgia. Magnesium oxide is poorly absorbed (under 4%) and primarily useful only as a laxative — it is the cheapest form and the one most commonly found in generic products.

Typical dosing: 200–400mg elemental magnesium daily, divided if higher. For sleep, 200–400mg magnesium glycinate 30–60 minutes before bed is a common protocol. For women, needs increase during the luteal phase (when premenstrual symptoms worsen), during pregnancy, and during perimenopause when poor sleep is common.

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