Magnesium and Gut Health

I often talk about how important your gut microbiome is. The balance of bacteria in your gut has such a huge impact on your skin health – as well as virtually every other aspect of your mental and physical health. One of the biggest steps you can take towards supporting good skin health is to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in your gut.

Nutrients are important for gut health. One important nutrient to consider is magnesium. This crucial mineral has been receiving more and more research attention in recent years, as it’s been discovered to be important for health in a number of different ways, including for gut health. More than half of all Americans aren’t getting enough magnesium, and if you’re one of them, finding ways to get more magnesium could be key to achieving better gut and skin health.

Magnesium and the gut microbiome

Bacteria need nutrients just like your own cells do, and one of the minerals they need is magnesium. So it’s not surprising that magnesium can impact your gut microbiome.

Studies have found that people who aren’t getting enough magnesium have less diversity in their microbiomes. A more diverse microbiome is associated with better immune system function and a lower risk of chronic disease. Magnesium also promotes the growth of certain beneficial species while inhibiting the growth of harmful species. By making sure to get enough magnesium, you can help to keep your microbiome balanced and healthy – which in turn has huge benefits for your skin.

Your gut bacteria also need magnesium for some of their metabolic activities. For example, magnesium helps to promote the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These important molecules help your skin to form a healthy barrier, which is crucial in preventing toxins and allergens from getting in and triggering inflammation. SCFAs are also anti-inflammatory, so they can help to decrease the risk of a flare in those who have chronic inflammatory skin conditions (like eczema, rosacea, or psoriasis).

Other benefits of magnesium

Besides its impact on the gut microbiome, magnesium can also benefit your health in other ways. Some of the benefits that have been found for magnesium include:

• Better sleep

• Stronger bones

• Reduction in chronic inflammation

• More stable blood sugar levels

• Lower blood pressure

• More stable mood

• Better ability to manage stress

• Reduction in migraines

More research is needed to confirm these benefits, but from the research that we have so far, it’s clear that magnesium has a powerful impact on many different aspects of your mental and physical health.

Getting magnesium through foods

So it’s clear that magnesium is great for your gut health as well as other aspects of your health. But right now, there’s a good chance that you aren’t getting enough. Studies have shown that more than half of all Americans don’t get the recommended amount of magnesium to meet their body’s needs.

If you’re looking to boost your magnesium intake, one way to do this is through adding more magnesium-rich foods to your diet. Some foods that are high in magnesium include:

• Pumpkin seeds

• Chia seeds

• Leafy greens, especially spinach

• Nuts, especially almonds and cashews

• Black beans

• Edamame (cooked soybeans)

• Fatty fish, especially salmon and halibut

• Avocado

All of these foods are also healthy in other ways. Seeds, nuts, fish, and avocado all contain healthy fats. Beans and fish are high in protein, and leafy greens are packed with vitamins and minerals. Most of these foods also contain high levels of fiber. So by choosing to add these magnesium-rich foods to your diet, you’ll also get many other benefits at the same time.

Do you need magnesium supplements?

In general, I recommend focusing on getting your nutrients from food first. If you’re not able to get enough magnesium that way, then you could consider magnesium supplements.

There are many different types of magnesium supplements, and they each tend to have slightly different effects in the body. This is due to differences in their absorption, as well as other components of the supplement besides the magnesium itself.

There’s some evidence that certain forms of magnesium may be best for certain uses. For example, magnesium L-threonate has been shown to pass from the blood into the brain better than other forms do, so this form may be preferred if you’re looking for the neurological benefits of magnesium (such as a reduction in migraines). Magnesium glycinate contains glycine, an amino acid that’s been found to help with sleep, and so this form may be preferred for improving sleep. Magnesium taurate contains taurine, another amino acid which has been found to be important for blood sugar regulation, so this form may be best if you’re looking to help control your blood sugar.

Certain forms of magnesium, including magnesium citrate, magnesium oxide, and magnesium hydroxide, are sometimes used to treat constipation. These forms of magnesium are not as well-absorbed as some other forms. Because of this, they tend to remain in your gut, where they pull in extra water. This softens your poop and makes it easier to pass. In some cases, this can lead to diarrhea, so it’s best to use caution with these forms – start at a low dose and be watchful for side effects.

If you occasionally experience constipation, then using these forms of magnesium could be helpful to relieve the bloating and discomfort that constipation can cause. However, if you’re experiencing constipation on a regular basis, it’s best not to rely on supplements like magnesium to solve the problem. Instead, discuss your constipation with your doctor – it can sometimes be caused by a medical condition, occasionally a serious one.

Starting a magnesium supplement

If you’re thinking of starting a magnesium supplement, it’s a good idea to check in with your doctor first. While they may seem harmless because they’re “natural,” supplements can have side effects, can interact with other supplements or with prescription medications, and can even be dangerous for people with certain medical conditions. So before you start popping a new supplement, I always recommend checking in with your doctor.

Not all doctors are well-trained in nutrition and other aspects of lifestyle, so they may not feel entirely comfortable with advising you on a specific magnesium supplement. In fact, I felt that my general medical training didn’t give me the knowledge and skills to help people with things like this, which is why I chose to complete a specialized training program in the field of lifestyle medicine. If you’re interested in using supplements to improve your health, you may want to look for a doctor who has training in this area.

In general, doctors who practice integrative medicine have both traditional medical training and additional knowledge about natural methods and lifestyle medicine, so they can offer you the best of both worlds.

Are you getting enough magnesium?

Magnesium is crucial for your gut health, as well as many other aspects of your health. If you’re dealing with a chronic skin condition, ensuring that you’re getting enough of this important nutrient could help to support better skin health in multiple different ways.

Of course, magnesium is only one of many important nutrients. Make sure to consider it in the context of your overall diet. Many foods contain multiple important nutrients, so if you focus on eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and lean protein sources, you can generally get all of the nutrients your body needs. Consulting with a health professional is sometimes very useful, so this is an option you can consider if you’d like some help with designing an optimal diet plan that will work for you.