Magnesium is a mineral that’s wanted for a lot of bodily processes, together with blood sugar regulation, nerve operate, vitality manufacturing, and DNA synthesis (1).
It’s present in quite a few meals however may also be taken as a dietary complement. These dietary supplements include totally different types of magnesium, together with magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate, and magnesium oxide.
Magnesium oxide is likely one of the most typical varieties bought in complement type, both as a stand-alone complement or in multinutrient merchandise.
This text explains every little thing you’ll want to find out about magnesium oxide, together with the way it compares with different types of magnesium, its potential advantages and uncomfortable side effects, and how one can take it.
What’s magnesium oxide?
Magnesium oxide is an inorganic salt of magnesium fashioned with ions of magnesium and oxygen (2).
It’s one among many types of magnesium obtainable for buy in complement type. It’s added to dietary dietary supplements in addition to over-the-counter medicines used to deal with constipation, indigestion, and complications.
In contrast with different types of magnesium, it might be much less efficient at elevating blood magnesium ranges (3).
How does it evaluate with different types of magnesium?
Magnesium oxide and different inorganic salts of magnesium like magnesium carbonate are excessive in elemental magnesium, which is the whole quantity of magnesium in a complement (3).
Nevertheless, they’ve a low solubility charge, making them much less bioavailable than different types of the mineral. So, although magnesium oxide dietary supplements present quantity of magnesium, it’s not essentially the most obtainable type in your physique to make the most of (3).
A 2019 examine confirmed this by testing 15 magnesium dietary supplements and discovering {that a} complement containing solely magnesium oxide had the bottom bioavailability (3).
In the meantime, a complement with each inorganic and natural magnesium salts — magnesium oxide and magnesium glycerophosphate, respectively — had the very best bioavailability (3).
Due to its low absorption charge in your intestines, magnesium oxide could result in digestive results like diarrhea. In actual fact, its robust laxative results are why it’s generally used to deal with constipation (3).
A 2017 rat examine demonstrated its low absorption charge, concluding that solely 15% of orally administered magnesium oxide was absorbed, whereas 85% was excreted within the feces. Older analysis suggests the absorption charge is even decrease in people (4, 5).
In distinction, magnesium citrate, magnesium acetyl taurate, magnesium malate, and magnesium glycinate all have excessive absorption charges and are simpler at rising magnesium ranges within the physique (6, 7, 8, 9, 10).
Nonetheless, magnesium oxide has been proven to supply a number of advantages and is usually used to deal with medical circumstances like continual constipation.
Does it present well being advantages?
Analysis reveals that magnesium oxide is efficient at treating sure medical circumstances.
Could assist deal with complications
Magnesium is required for correct nerve cell functioning. As such, a deficiency on this mineral can result in migraine complications.
Research present that magnesium oxide could cut back headache signs. It could even be as efficient as some migraine headache medicines (11).
For instance, a 2021 randomized, managed, double-blind examine in 63 individuals who skilled migraine discovered that taking 500 mg of magnesium oxide day by day decreased migraine frequency as successfully as a migraine remedy known as valproate sodium (12).
Older analysis additionally means that magnesium oxide could cut back migraine in kids (13).
Nevertheless, different types of magnesium like magnesium sulfate and magnesium citrate could also be simpler at treating migraine, as they’re usually higher absorbed (14, 15, 16).
Could cut back stress and nervousness
Magnesium performs an vital function in your physique’s stress response. In actual fact, research have proven that individuals who expertise frequent stress are likely to have decrease magnesium shops (17).
Some research have proven that supplementing with magnesium could assist cut back ranges of stress and nervousness in sure populations.
For instance, a 2017 overview of 18 research discovered that magnesium oxide could cut back stress and nervousness in ladies with premenstrual syndrome, however solely when mixed with vitamin B6 (18).
Regardless of these promising outcomes, researchers acknowledge that the standard of present research on the topic is poor, and future well-designed research are wanted (18).
Helps deal with constipation
Some of the frequent makes use of of magnesium oxide dietary supplements is constipation remedy. The complement has an osmotic impact, that means it attracts water into the intestines to trigger a laxative impact that may assist relieve constipation in each kids and adults.
In a small 2019 randomized, double-blind, managed examine, 34 ladies with delicate to average constipation have been handled with both 1.5 grams of magnesium oxide or a placebo day by day for 4 weeks (19).
Many ladies within the magnesium group skilled considerably improved bowel motion frequency, stool type, colonic transport time, and high quality of life in contrast with the placebo group (19).
In actual fact, over 70% of these handled with magnesium oxide reported total symptom enchancment, in contrast with solely 25% of these within the placebo group (19).
Equally, a examine in 90 individuals with constipation discovered that taking both 1.5 grams of magnesium oxide or 1 gram of senna, one other laxative, considerably improved spontaneous bowel actions and constipation-related high quality of life in contrast with a placebo (20).
Magnesium oxide has additionally been proven to stop constipation after surgical procedure, deal with opioid-induced constipation, and enhance purposeful constipation in kids (21).
That mentioned, whereas magnesium oxide has been proven to be protected for treating constipation, it might result in dangerously excessive magnesium ranges in sure populations, akin to these with kidney impairment and older adults (5).
Could decrease blood stress
Magnesium oxide dietary supplements could assist cut back elevated blood stress ranges.
A 2018 examine in 48 individuals with hypertension discovered that remedy with 300 mg of magnesium oxide per day for 1 month considerably decreased each systolic (the highest quantity) and diastolic (the underside quantity) blood stress (23).
Researchers theorize that the complement could decrease blood stress by lowering mobile calcium ranges to loosen up clean muscle cells and widen blood vessels (23).
Could decrease blood sugar ranges
Magnesium dietary supplements could decrease blood sugar ranges in individuals with diabetes.
For instance, dietary supplements containing magnesium oxide and zinc have been proven to decrease blood sugar ranges in individuals with kind 1 diabetes, kind 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes, which is diabetes that may happen throughout being pregnant (24).
In a 2015 examine, 70 ladies with gestational diabetes supplemented with both 250 mg of magnesium oxide or a placebo day by day for six weeks (25).
The magnesium oxide remedy considerably improved blood sugar ranges. It additionally decreased triglyceride ranges and the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP) and malondialdehyde, in contrast with the placebo group (25).
Magnesium oxide dietary supplements have additionally been proven to enhance blood sugar administration in Egyptian kids with kind 1 diabetes and Iranian adults with kind 2 diabetes (26, 27).
Potential uncomfortable side effects and drug interactions
Whereas supplementing with magnesium oxide could supply some advantages, there are potential uncomfortable side effects to contemplate.
Magnesium oxide is mostly protected when utilized in acceptable doses. Nevertheless, taking giant quantities over lengthy intervals can result in excessive blood magnesium ranges, or hypermagnesemia, which is a severe situation that may be deadly (28, 29).
Teams significantly liable to growing hypermagnesemia embrace these with kidney illness, older adults with bowel issues, and people taking 1,000 mg of magnesium oxide or extra per day (28, 30).
A 2019 case sequence mentioned 4 circumstances of hypermagnesemia, one among which was deadly. The entire sufferers have been over 65 years outdated and had kidney illness (30).
As such, researchers urge healthcare professionals to concentrate on this danger and monitor magnesium ranges in these being handled with magnesium oxide and different types of magnesium (30).
Magnesium oxide might also lead to digestive uncomfortable side effects like bloating and diarrhea, particularly when taken at larger doses (31, 32).
What’s extra, the complement could suppress the absorption of sure medicines, together with antipsychotic and antidepressant medication, in addition to these used to deal with urinary incontinence and Parkinson’s illness (33, 34, 35).
If you happen to’re concerned with taking magnesium oxide, seek the advice of your healthcare skilled to find out whether or not it’s acceptable and protected for you.
Dosage and how one can take
How a lot magnesium oxide to take depends upon the remedy function.
For instance, magnesium oxide is used to stop migraine with day by day 500-mg doses (12).
In the meantime, 300 mg per day has been proven to assist deal with hypertension, whereas 250 mg per day could assist decrease blood sugar ranges in ladies with gestational diabetes (23, 25).
Increased doses of the complement — often over 1 gram — are used to deal with constipation, although day by day doses as little as 250 mg could also be sufficient for some individuals (5).
The underside line – “magnesium oxide side effects adults”
Magnesium oxide is a type of magnesium generally taken as a dietary complement. It has a decrease bioavailability than different types of magnesium, however it might nonetheless supply advantages.
Primarily, it’s used to deal with migraine and constipation. It could additionally assist cut back blood stress, blood sugar, and nervousness in sure populations.
Taking an excessive amount of magnesium is harmful and may trigger elevated blood magnesium ranges, digestive uncomfortable side effects, and hindered absorption of sure medicines.
If you happen to’re concerned with supplementing with magnesium oxide, seek the advice of your healthcare skilled first to search out out if it’s the proper selection for you.