Germany Sets new limit on Magnesium supplements

[arewenearlythereyet]

https://www.nutraingredients.com/Ar...c-2017&c=ctnELE8k8TsUr3aHvHw66GvDWXiNRI2b&p2=

References a study on mild diarrhea after supplementing. Has decided that one supplement of 360mg is too much and plans to reduce the upper limit to 250mg.

It also suggests that having the maximum limit split into 2 or more smaller doses per day is more beneficial than one large dose per day (so little and often)

Just thought I would put this here since there is little in the way of sound advice for Magnesium and this varies a lot from country to country.

 

[Agapanthus]

I get loose stools after using magnesium but it varies a lot depending on what else I am eating/taking. I usually take some last thing at night as that is useful for the a.m., and a bit more first thing in my multimineral. I do think it's best to get some via the skin though so I use the spray on oil for that, and sometimes soak my feet in water with the flakes in it (we have no bath).

 

[arewenearlythereyet]

I get loose stools after using magnesium but it varies a lot depending on what else I am eating/taking. I usually take some last thing at night as that is useful for the a.m., and a bit more first thing in my multimineral. I do think it's best to get some via the skin though so I use the spray on oil for that, and sometimes soak my feet in water with the flakes in it (we have no bath).

Yes I do the same with regards the oil and take a mag oxide before bed. I'm considering just having magnesium citrate in my water bottle so I take small amounts throughout the day.

 

[Wonko]

It's not clear to me what that is referring to, is it suggesting a limit of 250mg of magnesium supplements, or of magnesium.

The difference is substantial - when I can be bothered I take 3 magnesium malate tablets a day, giving a total of around 1350mg of magnesium malate - but "only" around 150mg of magnesium.

Given the way these things are generally applied I have suspicions that the max dose would be reduced to half of one of my mag malate tablets, 250mg of mag malate, but only around 25mg of magnesium, coz these sort of people are generally too stupid to read to the end of a name.

 

[Valentijn]

References a study on mild diarrhea after supplementing. Has decided that one supplement of 360mg is too much and plans to reduce the upper limit to 250mg.

They're applying it to all forms of magnesium, but it's not clear which form was used in the research they're basing the decision upon. My experience is that magnesium oxide is guaranteed diarrhea, but I do fine with a higher dose of magnesium malate or citrate.

 

[Wonko]

Magnesium, to the best of my knowledge, only has one form, it's called magnesium. Magnesium supplements on the other hand, have several forms, because the magnesium is bound with other substances this means all magnesium supplements have less magnesium in, than magnesium does. They are also a little safer to ingest

Different forms also contain, by weight at least, different amounts of magnesium, given that this is apparently not recognised, at least as far as the article is concerned, we could easily have a situation where taking 250mg of the element magnesium is fine legally (probably no need for a per day here folks), but taking 30mg of magnesium in the somewhat safer form of 263mg of magnesium malate, is not.

Please note all numbers are made up, but based upon true events, as I remember them. This is a general caution, all numbers are in fact made up, they do not exist in reality, please point me at an atom of "2" if you disagree

 

[Inara]

I think 250mg of Magnesium per day is not so much. Also I agree with @Valentijn and @Wonko concerning magnesium compounds:

They're applying it to all forms of magnesium, but it's not clear which form was used in the research they're basing the decision upon. My experience is that magnesium oxide is guaranteed diarrhea, but I do fine with a higher dose of magnesium malate or citrate.

Not a good development, to reduce the suggested Magnesium intake even more...

 

[arewenearlythereyet]

It's not clear to me what that is referring to, is it suggesting a limit of 250mg of magnesium supplements, or of magnesium.

The difference is substantial - when I can be bothered I take 3 magnesium malate tablets a day, giving a total of around 1350mg of magnesium malate - but "only" around 150mg of magnesium.

Given the way these things are generally applied I have suspicions that the max dose would be reduced to half of one of my mag malate tablets, 250mg of mag malate, but only around 25mg of magnesium, coz these sort of people are generally too stupid to read to the end of a name.

Pretty sure it's elemental magnesium otherwise you would have to have a legal standard for each compound based on its molecular weight?

For example my magnesium oxide pot (which doesn't give me diahorrea even though I take the equivalent of 2 x375mg per day) says 375mg magnesium. The tablet is composed of quite a few other ingredients so trading standards would have something to say if they fudged that with the molecular form. All the legislation for food is based on elemental magnesium (similar for sodium etc)

Quite frankly there is a lot of BS about magnesium and their different forms. This appears to be due to a lack of proper research ...so a load of naturopaths invent a load of stuff to make it seem more complicated. perhaps I'm doing them a disservice? It's interesting that people don't get worried about different forms of sodium, calcium or potassium in the same way. I wonder why? Might be that they are all a lot cheaper?

I read something recently about the human bodies transport of magnesium into the body and this is self regulating and in quite small amounts, so I suspect having lower amounts more frequently of any form would end up with a higher absorption. Too late for me to hunt around for the paper...it's in the other place and I can't be bothered to go back there to find it.

 

[Wonko]

Pretty sure it's elemental magnesium otherwise you would have to have a legal standard for each compound based on its molecular weight?

I had to alter my post to avoid generating confusion when I discovered that the term elemental magnesium was not being used to mean the element magnesium at all - it was being used to mean a magnesium compound, as in some magnesium compounds used in supplements.

In the same, but IMO dangerously wrong, way, common table salt (sodium chloride) could be described as elemental sodium.

Is it just me or do words not mean what they used to?

 

[arewenearlythereyet]

I had to alter my post to avoid generating confusion when I discovered that the term elemental magnesium was not being used to mean the element magnesium at all - it was being used to mean a magnesium compound, as in some magnesium compounds used in supplements.

In the same, but IMO dangerously wrong, way, common table salt (sodium chloride) could be described as elemental sodium.

Is it just me or do words not mean what they used to?

For me elemental is elemental. At the end of the day..these things are analysed by labs back to the legal standard...I think if they quote an rdi ( recommended daily intake) then they have to comply with it being magnesium ( element).

I do think there is a load of corruption in supplements because it's retailed in health and Beauty rather than food ...the place where you can " look younger looking" by smearing essence of whatever on your face...Lax doesn't quite describe it! A lot of that marketing is creeping into food with the superfoods rubbish. But they normally come a cropper when they try and make outlandish claims on pack. Turns out maca or baobab powder isn't quite as good for you as a much cheaper slice of red pepper

 

[Little Bluestem]

common table salt (sodium chloride) could be described as elemental sodium.

Well of course it could be, but that would be wrong because it is a sodium compound.