MAGNESIUM FOR CONSTIPATION

Magnesium for constipation is simple, cost effective, time tested and efficient. For many people, it just works. In industrialized nations, people are overwhelmingly deficient in magnesium. This lack of magnesium creates multiple long-term health problems for the cardiovascular, muscular and nervous systems. A supplementation of 200 mg per day is often recommended to palliate this deficiency. Later we discuss how to use magnesium for constipation. In those instances, we will see that upping the doses to 500 to 1000 mg per day is often required. The Magnesium Crisis –If you live in an industrialized country, you have to worry about being magnesium deficient. Today, deficiencies are reaching epidemic proportions. Studies (1) show that in the US, 68% of adults consume less than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of magnesium, and 19% consume less than half of that RDA. And keep in mind that the RDA sets by the government expert’s panel is usually very conservative and is meant to avoid clear physiological problems, not to optimize long term health.

To optimize long-term health, more and more alternative practitioners recommend a daily supplementation of about 200 mg (more or less depending on the person and situation) to ensure their bases are covered. How do we make sure we optimize our intake? In theory, all that magnesium is supposed to come from natural sources, mainly from fruits, vegetables and drinking water. But as we will see in the next chapters, this isn’t as easy as it used to be. Magnesium In Water – Water used to be a good source of minerals. A water that is deemed “hard” is a water rich in minerals, magnesium included. However, it is also a water that is hard on the pipes, so more and more people (and cities) use filters to remove those minerals. Water from city water systems usually vary in the amount of magnesium provided. Bottled water is a lot more predictable, and specific brands can be chosen for the amount of magnesium they provide. The amount is provided on the bottle, simply check the labels. The magnesium rich waters (Vittel, Vichy, Badoit) contain more than 100 mg/liter. The magnesium poor water can be as low as 1 to 5 mg/liter (Arrowhead and the likes). If you have access to one of those magnesium rich brands, you can obtain 200 mg of magnesium by drinking 2 liters of that water every day, which is quite a bit for some people (except if you are constipated, in which case you may indeed want to absorb lots of water and magnesium for constipation... but more on this later). Magnesium in foods – Any type of leafy green vegetable (spinach or collard greens for instance) is a good source of magnesium. Sea weeds also qualifies. Chlorophyll, which gives leafy vegetables its green color, contains magnesium as its central molecule. Beans, peas, nuts and seeds usually contain a good amount of magnesium too.

The issue is that magnesium is water soluble, and will leach into the cooking water. So the best way to cook your vegetables is in little water, and to consume that water after cooking. Cooking your vegetables in a bit of broth and drinking the broth is a great way to preserve its magnesium content. Whole grains is often mentioned as a good source, but to me they are more and more problematic, and I often recommend removing all grains from the diet to see if it has any effect on constipation. Overall, the level of magnesium from foods is declining, due to intensive farming on impoverished soils. Therefore, again to be on the safe side, a daily supplementation is often required for optimal health. The Magnesium “Wasters”—Diets high in refined sugars and carbohydrates will make you burn through your magnesium reserves very quickly. Magnesium is a very key component of glucose metabolism and management. The more glucose you generate via highly glycemic food, the more magnesium you will burn. We already mentioned that cooking leaches magnesium out of foods, unless you consume the cooking water. Stress drains your magnesium reserves2. If you lead a stressful life, magnesium supplementation is highly recommended. If you do lots of physical activity, you will consume a significant amount of magnesium. First, you will lose magnesium when you sweat. Second, you will burn a lot more glucose, which as we said increase magnesium consumption. Supplementing For Good Health — For overall good health and when you are constipation-free, I recommend supplementing with 150 to 200 mg of magnesium per day, sometimes more depending on lifestyle (e.g. consumption of lots of carbohydrates, physical activity). B-vitamins are required for optimal magnesium absorption, so I usually recommend a broad spectrum B-vitamin complex to my naturopathic clients as well. If your body already has enough magnesium (which is fairly rare these days, but occurs once in a while), you will know very quickly; those 200 mg will give you diarrhea, a sign that you need to reduce the dose or not take a supplement at all.

This amount of supplementation is usually safe and without risks, unless you have kidney issues (your kidneys will work harder to eliminate any excess magnesium). If you have any doubts regarding magnesium supplementation, check with your doctor. The recommendations given on this page are for adults only. Magnesium citrate brings a good compromise between absorbability and price. Magnesium for Constipation — Now that I have convinced you that daily magnesium supplementation is beneficial, let’s talk about the use of magnesium for constipation. First of all, let me explain how magnesium acts as a laxative; It draws water into the gut, adding extra moisture to over-dehydrated fecal matter; It helps the smooth muscles of the gastro-intestinal tract contract better to move things along. Magnesium promotes better gut muscle contractions especially for those who are magnesium deficient. The symptoms of magnesium deficiencies can often be irritability and nervousness, anxiety, sleeping problems, chronic fatigue and tiredness. Scientific studies tell us that magnesium for constipation can be as effective as polyethylene glycol, also called PEG, a very popular laxative often prescribed by doctors. In one study done on children3, the researchers concluded that “the two laxatives showed no difference in effectiveness for the treatment of constipation”. In a study done in Japan4 on the effect of diet on constipation, the researchers concluded that “low magnesium intake was associated with increasing prevalence of constipation”. In another study comparing different laxatives on elderly patients5, the researchers found “magnesium hydroxide to be more efficient than bulk-laxative in treating constipation in elderly long-stay patients”. Note that magnesium hydroxide was the form tested in that study, other forms are active as well. Overall, there is a high probability that magnesium will provide punctual help during your constipation crisis. You will still have, of course, to get to the root cause of the problem.

If you were magnesium deficient, there is a possibility that it may provide a longer lasting effect, in which case lack of magnesium may have been one of your constipation triggers. If you have serious constipation with fecal impaction, magnesium may not make any difference – the added water and stronger contractions won’t be sufficient to remove the impaction. If you have an acute constipation case without impaction though, magnesium is definitely worth a try. Magnesium For Constipation: Protocol — You will need a dose that is higher than the maintenance dose mentioned above. You only need one B-vitamin complex capsule a day. If you have already taken your B-vitamin capsule with your 200 mg magnesium maintenance dose, you do not need to take another one. As discussed previously, when you take too much magnesium, you get loose stools. This is the effect we want to create. As a result, you will need to take enough magnesium to reach what we call “bowel tolerance”. Bowel tolerance is the point where you start to get loose stools. That dose is highly individual-specific. So you will have to experiment with what works best for you. Then, after a few tries, you will be able to figure out roughly your “bowel tolerance” dosage range, and whether magnesium for constipation works at all for you. Here is the recommended protocol : In the evening, before bed, take 400 mg of magnesium with water (2 capsules of 200 mg) The next morning, see if you can have a normal bowel movement. If yes, you have found your “bowel tolerance” dose. If not, take an additional 400 mg in the morning (2 capsules of 200 mg). Wait for the afternoon. Let at least 4 hours pass. In the afternoon, if you still cannot have a bowel movement and you are still backed up, take another 400 mg (another 2 capsules).

If you still cannot have a bowel movement by the end of the second day, magnesium for constipation will probably not work for you. If you manage to have a bowel movement at some point, write down the dose that achieved this effect. If, for instance, you manage to have a bowel movement by the end of the second day, you know that your bowel tolerance is about 1000 mg of magnesium, which you can try next time you are constipated (in one dose - 5 capsules of magnesium). For more information about constipation you may want to visit constipation-remedies-for-all.com.

References: 1 King DE, Mainous AG 3rd, Geesey ME, Woolson RF. Dietary magnesium and C-reactive protein levels. J Am Coll Nutr. 2005 Jun;24(3):166-71. 2 Takase B, Akima T, Uehata A, Ohsuzu F, Kurita A. "Effect of chronic stress and sleep deprivation on both flow-mediated dilation in the brachial artery and the intracellular magnesium level in humans." Clin Cardiol. 2004 Apr;27(4):223-7 3 Gomes PB, Duarte MA, Melo Mdo C. Comparison of the effectiveness ofpolyethylene glycol 4000 without electrolytes and magnesium hydroxide in the treatment of chronic functional constipation in children. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2011 Jan-Feb;87(1):24-8 4 Lee WT, Ip KS, Chan JS, Lui NW, Young BW. Increased prevalence of constipation in pre-school children is attributable to under-consumption of plant foods: A community-based study. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. 2008 Apr;44(4):170-5 5 Kinnunen O, Salokannel J. Constipation in elderly long-stay patients: its treatment by magnesium hydroxide and bulk-laxative. Ann Clin Res. 1987;19(5):321-3. PubMed PMID: 3126699