Magnesium sources: Oxide thru Pico - March 2013

Dr. Carolyn Dean summarized types of Magnesium

This followed her 4 hour long discussion - which is behind a paywall
The following does not have the hyperlinks which the original web page has.

Magnesium oxide It’s the cheapest but only 4% absorbed.
The rest goes through the intestines like a laxative. Good for constipation but not likely going to give you enough magnesium for therapeutic treatment of health conditions or to build up magnesium stores. If you take it and have several BM’s a day, you will lose nutrients including magnesium.

The rest of the magnesium products are rated on whether they have laxative effects or not.
There are no real absorption studies on all the magnesium except magnesium oxide.

Magnesium Compounds
Magnesium glycinate: Less laxative
Magnesium malate: Two studies show its beneficial for fibromyalgia pain
Magnesium aspartate: Not recommended by Dr. Russell Blaylock because it can break down into the poisonous aspartame artificial sweetener.
Magnesium glutamate: Not recommended by Dr. Russell Blaylock because it can break down into the poisonous MSG.
Magnesium bisglycinate with SRT: Less laxative
   Update - warning - each capsule contains only 36 mg of Magnesium, not the 200 mg claimed
Magnesium citrate powder (Natural Calm): dissolved in water it can be sipped throughout the day making it less laxative

Magnesium Chelates
They claim to be better absorbed and less laxative but they are only magnesium compounds with an attached amino acid.
It’s said that chelating mimics what plants do to minerals but plants chelate picometer-size minerals to begin with, not the much larger sized compounds in these products.

Food-Based Magnesium
It’s said these are products are less laxative because they are supposedly smaller sized like plant minerals, but I personally get the laxative effect from them so I know they are not 100% absorbed. I recommend Grown by Nature if people want this form of magnesium.

Magnesium Oil
Magnesium chloride supersaturated in distilled water makes an oily substance that you can put on your skin to relieve any sort of muscle or joint injury.
But it’s also well absorbed and helps body-wide magnesium deficiency symptoms.

Magnesium Bath Salts
1-2 cups of Epsom Salts, Magnesium chloride flakes or Natural Calm Sports. Baths are a great non-laxative way to obtain some of your magnesium requirements.

Pico Ionic Magnesium: ReMag (disclosure: this is my product)
100% absorbed at the cellular level. No laxative effect.

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See also VitaminDWiki

• Overview Magnesium and vitamin D
• All items in category Magnesium 365 items