Magnesium instead of antidepressants?-Yes, please.
Did you know that depression is one of the most widely diagnosed health problems today? Believe it or not, more than 3 million cases of depression in the US are diagnosed every year while 350 million people are believed to be affected worldwide.
Antidepressants are meds that are common part of the conventional treatment of this health issue. However, despite a worldwide usage, these meds come with serious side effects, including suicidal ideation and completion.
With this in mind, natural, safe, and effective alternative treatments are of pivotal importance. A new study may have some promising news to offer and it involves one crucial mineral, i.e. magnesium.
Let’s find out more in the next section.
Magnesium Can Be of Aid for Depression?
A randomized clinical trial titled Role of Magnesium Supplementation in the Treatment of Depression found magnesium to be accessible, affordable, and safe as well as beneficial in the treatment of mild to moderate depression symptoms.
Studies done previously have researched the link between depression and magnesium, but this study is the first clinical and placebo-controlled made to discover if the usage of over-the-counter magnesium chloride can better depression symptoms.
What Did the Results Show?
The regular intake of magnesium chloride for a period of 6 weeks led to a major net improvement in Generalized Anxiety Disorders scores and PHQ-9 scores.
The supplements were tolerated well and 61 percent of the participants reported they would choose magnesium in the future. The similar effects were seen regardless of gender, age, depression severity, antidepressant treatment use, and baseline magnesium level.
The effects were noticed within two weeks.
The Amazing Health Benefits of Magnesium
Magnesium is a major player in our body’s production of energy and it’s present in 300 enzymes.
In the past 40 years, the research on magnesium has been increasing and around 200 new studies appear on a yearly basis. Magnesium is considered helpful for type 2 diabetes, fibromyalgia, premenstrual syndrome, atrial fibrillation, heart disease, migraine, and aging.
How to Get more Magnesium?
One of the best ways to acquire this important mineral is from adequate food sources, primarily chlorophyll-rich foods.
Some of the foods which contain very high amounts of this mineral are chives, seaweed, rice bran, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened cocoa, basil, cumin seed, nuts, parsley, almond butter, bananas, millet, leeks, salmon, onions, kale, and whey.
If you need this mineral in higher dosages or can’t always consume foods abundant in magnesium, you can opt for quality supplements. If you would also want to acquire the benefits of magnesium therapy such as its laxative properties, opt for magnesium oxide or citrate.
To enhance the bioavailability, choose magnesium glycinate which is highly absorbable.
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