This text was beforehand printed June 10, 2019, and has been up to date with new data.
Chances are you’ll be aware of the connection between magnesium, calcium and nutritional vitamins K2 and D and the way they work in tandem. However are you conscious of the essential hyperlink between magnesium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)? Individually, magnesium and vitamin B6 are each important for coronary heart and mind well being. Each additionally play roles within the regulation of your blood sugar degree.1,2
While you get inadequate quantities of magnesium out of your weight loss program, your physique will leach magnesium out of your bones, muscle mass and inner organs, which may result in osteoporosis, kidney issues and liver injury.
Vitamin B6 will help ameliorate this by escorting magnesium to the cells that want it most, thus making certain that the magnesium you are getting, whether or not from meals or dietary supplements, is getting used as effectively as attainable. In so doing, vitamin B6 additionally helps increase the numerous advantages of magnesium.
Magnesium-B6 Combo Is Superior for Extreme Stress
The significance of magnesium together with vitamin B6 was introduced in a 2018 examine3 within the journal PLOS ONE. Taken collectively, these two vitamins have been proven to have a complementary impact on stress discount in animal research.
On this randomized trial, they evaluated whether or not the mix of magnesium and B6 would enhance perceived stress ranges in 264 human topics who additionally had low magnesium to start out. Wholesome adults with a despair anxiousness stress scale rating above 18 and a serum degree of magnesium between 0.45 nanomoles per liter (mmol/L) and 0.85 mmol/L had been randomized to obtain both:
- 300 milligrams (mg) of magnesium together with 30 mg of vitamin B6
- 300 mg of magnesium solely
The first endpoint was a discount in stress rating from baseline to Week 8. Whereas each remedy teams skilled comparable reductions of their stress scores — the magnesium-B6 combo group reporting a 44.9% discount in perceived stress and the magnesium-only group a 42.4% discount — a extra vital affect was proven in these with extreme and/or extraordinarily extreme stress.
In response to the authors, adults with a stress rating at or above 25 had a 24% better enchancment with magnesium-vitamin B6 versus magnesium solely at Week 8. These taking magnesium and B6 together additionally skilled fewer uncomfortable side effects: 12.1% of these taking magnesium-vitamin B6 versus 17.4% of these taking magnesium solely skilled some type of hostile occasion. As famous by the authors:4
“These findings counsel oral Mg supplementation alleviated stress in wholesome adults with low magnesemia and the addition of vitamin B6 to Mg was not superior to Mg supplementation alone. With regard to topics with extreme/extraordinarily extreme stress, this examine offers scientific help for better advantage of Mg mixed with vitamin B6.”
Magnesium and B6 Could Ease Premenstrual Syndrome
Magnesium and vitamin B6 are two vitamins generally really helpful for ladies scuffling with premenstrual syndrome. In response to a analysis paper5 printed within the Journal of Caring Sciences, magnesium deficiency has been proposed “as one of many elements inflicting and intensifying premenstrual syndrome signs,” and magnesium seems to work as a result of it has a chilled impact on the neuromuscular system.
“Vitamin B6 is one other proposed remedy for this syndrome,” the paper notes.6 “On the one hand vitamin B6 will increase serotonin and dopamine ranges and improves premenstrual syndrome signs, and on the opposite, it has a necessary function within the synthesis of prostaglandin and fatty acids, that are lowered in etiologies inflicting premenstrual syndrome.
Furthermore, researchers consider that vitamin B6 deficiency decreases dopamine within the kidneys and due to this fact improve sodium excretion, which in flip causes water accumulation within the physique and induces signs comparable to swelling in extremities, edema, and belly and chest discomfort. The administration of vitamin B6 can thus lower these signs and enhance premenstrual pimples.”
To judge the consequences of those two vitamins on premenstrual syndrome, 126 ladies recognized with premenstrual syndrome, based mostly on American Psychiatric Affiliation standards, had been divided into three teams, which acquired both 250 mg of magnesium oxide, 250 mg of vitamin B6, or a placebo, taken from the primary day of the menstrual cycle till the start of the following cycle.
Magnesium and B6 Have Comparable Charges of Effectiveness
General, magnesium and B6 had comparable charges of effectiveness for premenstrual syndrome on this Journal of Caring Sciences examine. Imply scores of premenstrual syndrome earlier than and after intervention within the three teams had been as follows:
| Magnesium | Vitamin B6 | Placebo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earlier than intervention | 36.89% | 36.51% | 35.8% |
| After intervention | 22.22% | 22.84% | 28.41% |
As you’ll be able to see, whereas the placebo additionally helped scale back premenstrual syndrome signs, magnesium and B6 did so extra successfully, and at comparable charges. When taking a look at particular signs, B6 and magnesium had been discovered to be the best for reducing charges of despair, water retention and anxiousness. In conclusion, the authors famous:7
“Contemplating the significance of premenstrual syndrome and the quite a few results it has on society and the lives of girls, well being teams ought to prioritize the prognosis and remedy of this syndrome. Since there is no such thing as a definitive etiology and remedy for this syndrome, many researchers have tried to seek out one of the best and simplest drug with the least uncomfortable side effects to forestall the incidence of the syndrome …
The present examine was additionally undertaken with the purpose of discovering an efficient compound with no uncomfortable side effects to cut back the signs of this syndrome and its direct and oblique financial and social results. All compounds used within the present examine had no uncomfortable side effects, had been efficient, non-chemical, and acceptable by most teams of girls within the society.
Therefore, well being teams, particularly midwives, can evaluate the effectiveness the compound on their particular sufferers and choose essentially the most acceptable remedy for every particular person. Furthermore, in circumstances the place the affected person is prohibited from utilizing chemical medication to deal with premenstrual syndrome, comparable to oral contraceptive capsules and gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, using these compounds appears efficient …”
Sadly, a mix of magnesium and B6 was not evaluated on this examine. It might have been attention-grabbing to see what their mixed impact would have been. Contemplating the significance of each of those vitamins for well being, I see no threat in combining them, although, do you have to battle with premenstrual syndrome.
The Significance of Magnesium for Optimum Well being
Magnesium8 is the fourth most considerable mineral in your physique and the second most typical intracellular cation9 (positively charged ion) after potassium. It is required for the wholesome operate of most cells in your physique, however is very essential to your coronary heart, kidneys and muscle mass.
Low magnesium will impede your mobile metabolic operate and deteriorate mitochondrial operate, which may have far-reaching well being penalties, seeing how lack of mitochondrial operate is a foundational think about most persistent ailments, together with coronary heart illness and most cancers.
In response to one scientific evaluation,10 which included research relationship way back to 1937, low magnesium truly seems to be the best predictor of coronary heart illness, and different latest analysis exhibits even subclinical magnesium deficiency can compromise your cardiovascular well being.11
Being one of the vital considerable minerals within the human physique, it isn’t stunning that it has a number of hundred organic capabilities. To listing just some, magnesium helps:
- Loosen up your muscle mass in addition to your blood vessels — Being poor in it could trigger muscle cramps and weak point
- Promote psychological and bodily rest — It is a stress antidote that works by boosting GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter that relaxes your nervous system. Magnesium additionally helps enhance your melatonin manufacturing
- Detoxing and reduces injury from electromagnetic fields
- Regulate blood sugar and enhance insulin sensitivity, doubtlessly defending in opposition to Sort 2 diabetes
Magnesium Is Required for Activation of Vitamin D
Magnesium can be a part obligatory for the activation of vitamin D,12,13,14 and deficiency could hamper your skill to transform vitamin D from solar publicity and/or oral supplementation.
In response to Mohammed Razzaque, professor of pathology at Lake Erie School of Osteopathic Drugs in Pennsylvania, coauthor of a examine printed in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Affiliation (JAOA) in March 2018,15 “By consuming an optimum quantity of magnesium, one might be able to decrease the dangers of vitamin D deficiency, and scale back the dependency on vitamin D dietary supplements.”
Apparently, the primary paper I ever had printed, again in 1985, was additionally within the JAOA. My paper was about using calcium to manage hypertension, but when I had written the paper this century, it most definitely would have been about using magnesium for that goal.16
A second examine,17 printed in The American Journal of Medical Vitamin in December 2018 additionally concluded that your magnesium standing performs an essential function in your vitamin D standing. General, individuals with excessive magnesium consumption had been much less more likely to have low vitamin D. In addition they had a decrease mortality threat from heart problems and bowel most cancers.
As defined by Dr. Qi Dai, professor of medication at Vanderbilt College Medical Heart and the lead writer of this examine, “Magnesium deficiency shuts down the vitamin D synthesis and metabolism pathway.” What’s extra, magnesium was discovered to have a regulating impact, elevating and reducing vitamin D based mostly on baseline ranges.
In individuals who had a baseline vitamin D degree of 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) or beneath, magnesium supplementation raised their vitamin D degree. Nevertheless, in those that began out with increased vitamin D ranges (50 ng/mL or 125 nmol/L), magnesium supplementation lowered their vitamin D.
Magnesium for Mind Well being and Neurological Functioning
Magnesium can be essential for optimum mind operate, and is a typical wrongdoer in neurological illnesses, together with:
• Migraines18,19,20 — Researchers have famous that empiric remedy with a magnesium complement is justified for all migraine victims.21
• Melancholy — Magnesium performs an essential function in despair because it acts as a catalyst for mood-regulating neurotransmitters like serotonin. Analysis22 printed in 2015 discovered a big affiliation between very low magnesium consumption and despair, particularly in youthful adults.
Analysis23 printed in PLOS ONE demonstrated magnesium supplementation improved mild-to-moderate despair in adults, with helpful results occurring inside two weeks of remedy. Actually, the consequences of magnesium had been corresponding to prescription SSRIs by way of effectiveness, however with none of the uncomfortable side effects related to these medication.
Contributors within the remedy group acquired a day by day dose of 248 milligrams (mg) of elemental magnesium for six weeks, whereas controls acquired no remedy. In response to the authors, “It really works rapidly and is nicely tolerated with out the necessity for shut monitoring for toxicity.”
• Reminiscence issues and lack of mind plasticity — Reminiscence impairment happens when the connections (synapses) between mind cells diminish. Whereas many elements can come into play, magnesium is a vital one.
In response to Dr. David Perlmutter, a neurologist and fellow of the American School of Vitamin, “magnesium is a essential participant within the activation of nerve channels which can be concerned in synaptic plasticity.”24 Magnesium threonate, which most successfully permeates the blood-brain-barrier, is probably going your best option right here.
The precise mind advantages of magnesium threonate had been demonstrated in a 2010 examine25 printed within the journal Neuron, which discovered this type of magnesium enhanced “studying skills, working reminiscence, and short- and long-term reminiscence in rats.”
Well being Advantages of Vitamin B6
Like magnesium, vitamin B6 (in addition to a number of different B nutritional vitamins) additionally performs an essential function in coronary heart and mind well being. It’s used within the creation of neurotransmitters, and is required for correct mind improvement throughout being pregnant and infancy.26
Nutritional vitamins B6, B9 (folate, or folic acid in its artificial kind) and B12 could also be notably essential for supporting cognitive operate as you age, and have been proven to play a serious function within the improvement of dementia, together with Alzheimer’s illness, which is essentially the most severe and deadly kind.
A major mechanism of motion right here is the suppression of homocysteine,27 which tends to be elevated when you’ve got mind degeneration. Excessive homocysteine has additionally been implicated within the improvement of atherosclerosis.28,29
The excellent news is your physique can get rid of homocysteine naturally, offered you are getting sufficient B9 (folate), B6 and B12. One examine confirming this was printed in 2010.30 Contributors acquired both a placebo or 800 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid (the artificial type of B9), 500 mcg of B12 and 20 mg of B6.
The examine was based mostly on the presumption that by controlling homocysteine ranges you would possibly have the ability to scale back mind atrophy, thereby slowing the onset of Alzheimer’s. Certainly, after two years those that acquired the vitamin-B routine had considerably much less mind shrinkage in comparison with the placebo group.
A 2013 examine31 took this analysis a step additional, exhibiting that not solely do B nutritional vitamins sluggish mind shrinkage, however they particularly sluggish shrinkage in mind areas recognized to be most severely impacted by Alzheimer’s illness.
As within the earlier examine, contributors taking excessive doses of folic acid and nutritional vitamins B6 and B12 lowered their blood ranges of homocysteine, reducing mind shrinkage by as a lot as 90%. Excessive doses of nutritional vitamins B6, B8 (inositol) and B12 have additionally been proven to considerably scale back signs of schizophrenia, extra so than commonplace drug remedies alone.32 Vitamin B6 can be essential for wholesome:
- Metabolism, by serving to break down amino acids within the muscle mass for use as power and by changing lactic acid to glucose in your liver
- Immune system, because it helps create white blood cells that battle infections
- Hair and pores and skin well being, by lowering hair loss and assuaging dermatitis
Tips on how to Enhance Your Magnesium and Vitamin B6 Standing
The really helpful dietary allowance (RDA) for magnesium ranges from 310 mg to 420 mg for adults over the age of 19, relying on age, gender and being pregnant standing,33 and the grownup RDA for vitamin B6 is between 1.2 mg and a couple of mg per day, relying on age and gender.34
Each magnesium and vitamin B6 are considerable in entire meals. Good sources of magnesium embrace leafy greens, berries, avocado, seeds, nuts and uncooked cacao nibs. Consuming a primarily processed meals weight loss program is the first wrongdoer in magnesium deficiency, and when you fall into this group, you would be smart to take a magnesium complement.
Vitamin B6 is considerable in animal meals comparable to beef and wild-caught salmon, in addition to darkish leafy greens, papaya, oranges, cantaloupe, candy potatoes, avocados, bananas, spinach, pistachios and sunflower seeds.35 Dietary yeast is one other glorious supply.
