Magnesium types and - scant/‘promising’ - research
Overview of magnesium types: Types of Magnesium and Their Benefits
The lactate, malate & orotate (expensive) are the ones said to be easiest on the gut.
- Mg citrate for constipation; perhaps calming: depression & anxiety.
- Mg oxide (in milk of magnesia): heartburn, indigestion, and constipation, migraines.
- Mg chloride: heartburn, constipation, replenishing. Topically for muscle soreness.
- Mg lactate (also food additive): stress and anxiety. Less laxative.
- Mg malate: FM & CFS? - little evidence. Less laxative.
- Mg taurate: Blood sugar & pressure.
- Mg L-threonate: Perhaps brain health, depression & age-related memory loss.
- Mg sulfate: Epsom salt, but little evidence for skin absorption.
- Mg glycinate (Glycine for sleep & inflammatory incl. heart & diabetes): Praps calming: anxiety, depression, stress, and insomnia.
- Mg orotate: Less laxative, but expensive, for heart health (improving cardiovascular energy production).
Research
As is mentioned and linked in above article, malate is the one that’s been most connected with FM, but without evidence (‘little or no difference in pain’): Magnesium and malic acid supplement for fibromyalgia - PubMed
2020: Magnesium and Pain - PubMed Reported to alleviate fibromyalgia and others, as well as neuropathic pain.Prevents central sensitization and attenuates preexisting pain hypersensitivity at the NMDA receptor.
2020: Psychological and Sleep Effects of Tryptophan and Magnesium-Enriched Mediterranean Diet in Women with Fibromyalgia - PubMed Reduced anxiety symptoms, mood disturbance, eating disorders, and dissatisfaction with body image but not improve sleep quality.
2020: mentions promising magnesium trials Nutritional Interventions in the Management of Fibromyalgia Syndrome - PubMed
I have been taking magnesium malate (2x400) for months and now added (bis)glycinate (2x500): they may be helping a bit. After optimizing the amino acids I’ll be weaning them off and see if anything changes.
A post on a thread from 2013 mentions several, incl. the above-mentioned magnesium malate, but I thought I’d develop on this newer more general thread.