To boost mood and promote a healthy stress response, it is best to use a combination of forms of magnesium combined with vitamin B6. Studies have confirmed that magnesium with organic acid salt (e.g. citrate and malate) or amino acids (e.g. taurate, glycinate, and sucrosomial) are significantly better absorbed than inorganic salts (oxide, chloride, and sulfate). Also, these different forms are absorbed into different tissues, with taurate, malate, and citrate being the most beneficial for the nervous system.

DiNicolantonio JJ, Liu J, O'Keefe JH. Magnesium for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Open Heart. 2018;5(2):e000775. Published 2018 Jul 1. doi:10.1136/openhrt-2018-000775 Boyle NB, Lawton C, Dye L. The Effects of magnesium Supplementation on Subjective Anxiety and Stress-A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2017;9(5):429. Published 2017 Apr 26. doi:10.3390/nu9050429 A large-scale systematic and dose-response analysis found that magnesium supplementation correlated with reduced body weight[13] and waist circumference among specific groups of people. Those with resistance, hypertension, obesity, magnesium deficiency, and women seem to weigh less and have smaller waist circumference if they took magnesium supplements. Magnesium supplements have also been shown to help improve mental health in women with general premenstrual syndrome. Magnesium is extremely important for heart health and blood vessel health. Magnesium deficiency seems to worsen the inflammation, blood vessel constriction, blood clotting, and stress responses that trigger heart conditions. Correcting deficiency appears to improve heart health and reduces risk of death, although it is unclear whether supplementation alone is sufficient to treat these conditions.Even people who supplement tend to take types that are poorly absorbed, or they only take two types of magnesium at most. Each type benefits different tissues and organ systems. If you’re only taking one or two forms, you’re most likely still deficient. Boyle NB, Lawton C, Dye L. The Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Subjective Anxiety and Stress-A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2017;9(5):429. Published 2017 Apr 26. doi:10.3390/nu9050429

Supports exercise performance and recovery. Magnesium supplementation improves speed and strength,[15] possibly by making glucose metabolism more efficient. It also supports the necessary stress response to exercise, reduces muscle damage,[16] and improves exercise recovery (400 mg/day, taken at breakfast). Our bodies don’t store magnesium well. It is generally excreted from your system within 24 hours of intake. Therefore, it is important to take magnesium every day. Kim DJ, Xun P, Liu K, et al. Magnesium intake in relation to systemic inflammation, resistance, and the incidence of diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2010;33(12):2604-2610. doi:10.2337/dc10-0994Almost half of all Americans do not receive sufficient magnesium from their diet [1] Magnesium. National Institutes of Health. Accessed 7/5/2023. , thanks in part to the consumption of refined foods, which undergo processing that diminishes their magnesium content, and the deterioration of soil quality. Tarleton EK, Littenberg B, MacLean CD, Kennedy AG, Daley C. Role of magnesium supplementation in the treatment of depression: A randomized clinical trial. PLoS One. 2017;12(6):e0180067. Published 2017 Jun 27. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0180067 Overall, magnesium deficiencies tend to exacerbate or increase the risk of conditions that involve chronic inflammation. Takase B, Akima T, Uehata A, Ohsuzu F, Kurita A. Effect of chronic stress and sleep deprivation on both flow-mediated dilation in the brachial artery and the intracellular magnesium level in humans. Clin Cardiol. 2004;27(4):223-227. doi:10.1002/clc.4960270411 Magnesium is important for hormones that regulate blood sugar to function well. Therefore, many people with blood sugar issues and metabolic syndrome are deficient in magnesium. Even when the blood sugar is well-controlled, a supplement would still be necessary to achieve healthy levels. In a clinical trial involving 65 diabetes patients, magnesium supplementation promotes healthy function and metabolism.