There has been much evidence come to light in recent years regarding the positive effects of magnesium on human brain function. Magnesium deficiency has been highlighted as an underlying cause for many conditions affecting the neural system, including Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss, depression and even fear. Magnesium can also be used to successfully aid and enhance recovery from conditions such as brain trauma, stroke and a variety of other ailments.
Dr. Carolyn Dean has authored many medical books, exploring both traditional and alternative medicines. These include The Magnesium Miracle, which includes more than 600 well-researched references to scientific and medical evidence of the health benefits of this mineral.
Reversing Brain Ageing
One research study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology looked at how to overcome poor absorption of magnesium after identifying the role the mineral plays in slowing down or even reversing ageing in the brain.
The study, which was performed on rats, utilized a unique magnesium compound known as magnesium-L-threonate, which is more easily absorbed and was shown to increase levels of magnesium in the brain by up to 15%. This increase in brain magnesium led to improvements in brain plasticity, which is the term used to describe the ability of the brain to form new connections.
The plasticity of the human brain naturally deteriorates as we age, making it more difficult to store new information and retain memory. The results of this study, which were published in 2016, showed beyond doubt that raising magnesium levels in the brain resulted in significant, direct improvements in memory and learning.
Unfortunately, this study and the marketing afterwards led the public to believe that magnesium-L-threonate was the only magnesium that could breech the blood brain barrier. The study compared the L-threonate magnesium to another magnesium and found only a 7% increase in magnesium in the cerebrospinal fluid – hardly a wide margin to declare superiority. There is copious evidence that any magnesium, no matter how poorly absorbed, will have a positive effect on the brain. Within a year of the publication of this study, the cost of magnesium L-threonate increased by 300%.
Mood Elevation
There have been various studies into the effect of magnesium on disorders affecting our mood, including depression, anxiety, irritability and even psychosis. Magnesium has long been used as a home remedy for all manner of emotional ailments.
Case studies and controlled trials have identified magnesium as a remedy for sleeplessness, hypomanic depression, postpartum depression, cravings, anxiety and irritability, among many other conditions. Some physicians believe that incidence of depression is on the rise due to a wider prevalence of magnesium deficiency among the global population.
Magnesium performs up to 1,000 essential tasks and 80% of known metabolic function within the human body. One of these is suppressing the stimulation of the hippocampus for stress hormone release. Stress has been identified as an underlying cause of many mental health disorders.
NMDA Receptors
Nerve cells in the human body contain NMDA receptors (N-methyl-D-aspartate), which aid the development of the brain, learning and memory functions. Magnesium acts as a gatekeeper between these NMDA receptors and the brain, relaying messages back and forth between brain and body. Magnesium works to prevent weak signals from triggering these receptors unnecessarily in healthy adults. Low magnesium levels result in these weak signals getting through, which leads to overstimulation. The effects of overstimulation can lead to the death of nerve cells, which can ultimately result in brain damage in extreme cases.
Headaches and Migraines
Headaches and migraines can be alleviated in many cases by administering magnesium. Research has shown that around 80% of patients suffering from chronic migraines found that their levels of pain were significantly reduced within just 15 minutes when an IV administered ionized magnesium. Around half of all people who suffer from migraines are found to have deficient levels of magnesium and as many as 60% of chronic migraine sufferers have a decreased ability to metabolize magnesium due to genetic changes.
Dr. Carolyn Dean recommends taking ReMag supplements regularly to ensure a healthy level of magnesium is always maintained. ReMag is designed specifically to be absorbed properly and achieve saturation levels (without the laxative effect), readily crossing the blood brain barrier and providing enough magnesium for optimum brain function.
