What type of Magnesium is in food?

[dianebarkeridaho]

Hello all,

It has been a while since I posted. A short summary and update:

I was told I had MC in late spring of 2023. I found this site right away. I stopped gluten, dairy and soy. Just that alone caused the D to reduce from 16+ times a day to about 5 or 6. A small miracle. But I still needed to address that amount of D, so I tried Pepto protocol, it worked but I also got some tinnitus from it. I finally went on Budesonide. Within 3 days I was normal. I weaned. It came back. I went on Budesonide again. I weaned. It came back. So I went on it again last fall. I weaned down to 3 mg. I stayed on that until my February 2025 colonoscopy. Two biopsies showed no sign of MC. I am still on that 3 mg and the doc (and a study I read) said no harm in just staying on it the rest of my life (I am 63).

BUT....I have continued to have trouble with magnesium. On the advice of this site I started epsom salt baths last summer. I take one every other day with two cups of epsom salt in enough water to cover me. I decided to get tested since I was having bad leg cramps and an unexplained tremor in my hands. I got a red blood cell test in June. It was below normal. Not terribly, but it is low. So I tried the supplements again (Pure Encapsulation Mag Glycinate) 120mg. I could take one at night if I took a loperamide with it. But then someone said try Magnesium Malate. I took just a 1/4 tablet which was about 40 mg of elemental. Whoa! Up all night. Then I tried high mag food. 1/2 serving of hemp hearts....again up all night. Pumpkin seeds....all night and all day.

This brings me to a few questions....

1) When we see a magnesium content listed for foods....like 10 grams 85% dark chocolate is 23 mg of magnesium. Or hemp hearts, a tablespoon is about 100 mg magnesium, etc....what kind of magnesium is that? Is it elemental? Or is it bound to something? Does one food contain magnesium oxide and another contain magnesium citrate? I thought magnesium had to be bound to something so I am wondering what it binds to in food?

2) Has anyone tried magnesium injections? There is an IV infusion, which is a pain in the neck. Or intramuscular injections. Or, as a doc over in the UK recommends, subcutaneous injections, which absorb fine and are not as painful as intramuscular...(not that pain is an issue compared to D all day). That same doc says that injections are the only sure way he knows of to get the magnesium up in the body (if you are like me and get massive D from it.).

3) If someone cannot take magnesium, and their levels get low....is it a vicious cycle? Meaning, if I am low is it MORE likely that it will cause diarrhea?

Any answers to those questions would be much appreciated.

[tex]

That’s a good question. I always assumed it was in elemental form, but that’s incorrect. Elemental magnesium (at least in powder form, where it has access to adequate oxygen) is explosive, and apparently that restriction applies naturally to everything in nature, including foods. Anyway, I looked it up, to be sure.The magnesium found in most foods is not in elemental form — it’s always present as part of a compound, and the specific form varies, depending on the food source.

In foods, magnesium is bound in organic or inorganic compounds, such as:

Magnesium salts, such as magnesium phosphate, magnesium citrate, magnesium sulfate
Magnesium bound to proteins or chlorophyll (in plants)
Magnesium complexes in bones and cells (in animal products)

Here are some examples:

In leafy greens, magnesium is part of chlorophyll
In nuts and seeds, magnesium is bound to phytates, proteins, and fatty acids
In whole grains, magnesium is mostly in the form of magnesium phytates and magnesium phosphate
In legumes, magnesium has mixed forms including magnesium citrate, magnesium maleate, and magnesium phytates
In animal products magnesium is found in intracellular fluids in energy carrying molecules known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), bound to ATP proteins and enzymes

Some people are unable to absorb magnesium normally because of their genetics. And unfortunately, if too much magnesium remains in the intestines (unabsorbed), it tends to encourage diarrhea, because the body is designed (or evolved) so that if it wants to purge the contents of the digestive system, it infuses certain electrolytes (such as sodium) into the small intestine, and when that reaches the colon, more electrolytes are infused to ensure diarrhea. And since we know that magnesium can be used as a laxative, it can presumably act as a surrogate for sodium in that process.

Regarding your question about a possible vicious cycle, magnesium deficiency tends to cause constipation, not diarrhea. But magnesium supplements can certainly cause diarrhea.

I hope this helps.

Tex

[dianebarkeridaho]

Tex, thank you for that detailed response. This is so interesting and helpful!