By Nicholas Zemp
Magnesium is the 7th most abundant element in the earth’s crust and is vitally important in human health. In the human body magnesium is the 2nd most abundant mineral in the intracellular matrix,1 found mostly in the bones and muscles,2 and is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions that regulate a diverse array of physiological systems including protein synthesis, DNA and RNA synthesis, nerve and muscle function, and regulating blood pressure and heart rhythm.3,4 With so many physiological processes relying on magnesium it should come as no surprise that having adequate amounts of magnesium would affect many aspects of our health.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and data from the NHANES study more than half of adult Americans don’t consume enough magnesium in a day from their food.5,6 Only 1% of magnesium in the body circulates in the serum making it difficult to adequately assess whether someone has proper levels.1 Hypomagnesemia is a common occurrence, and with very few clinicians able to identify the signs and symptoms of subclinical magnesium deficiency and the hugely important role of magnesium in human health, an important goal of any health regimen should be increasing one’s daily intake of magnesium.4,7
As an ion, magnesium doesn’t exist in nature in its pure elemental form; therefore, it is always bound to another molecule. Magnesium complexes can broadly be divided into two categories: organic and inorganic salts. Magnesium oxide is a common inorganic salt, and while it is a high potency form of elemental magnesium, it commonly causes gastrointestinal upset. Magnesium chelates on the other hand, e.g. glycinate, citrate, taurate, etc., are forms of organic magnesium salts and are general better absorbed and well-tolerated.8
KAL’s Magnesium Glycinate 350 is a fully chelated magnesium bis-glycinate, providing 11% elemental magnesium. It has been newly reformulated with Bioperine™ to enhance absorption and also meets the NIH’s Upper Tolerable Intake of 350 mg per serving for magnesium.6 A single serving of KAL’s Magnesium Glycinate provides 83% of the DV of magnesium and glycine, an amino acid with healthy sleep promoting effects,9,10 along with 5 mg of Bioperine™, a black pepper extract that has been shown to increase the bioavailability of hard to absorb nutrients and minerals,11 without significantly changing the pharmacokinetics of pharmaceutical drugs.12 In conclusion, magnesium is vitally important for maintaining one’s health and with over half the adult population under-consuming this important mineral it is necessary to supplement our diets with a high-quality, easily digested and highly bioavailable form of magnesium.
