High Absorption Magnesium contains elemental
magnesium chelated with the amino acids glycine and lysine. It is a "di-peptide"
chelate, which means that each magnesium atom is chelated with two amino
acid molecules. It has a low molecular weight of 324 daltons, which is ideal
for optimum absorption. Bioperine® is a patented herbal extract that
enhances nutrient absorption.
Benefits
As an essential dietary mineral, magnesium plays many important roles,
including:
• Acts as a co-factor for metabolic enzymes.*
• Assists energy production in cells.*
• Supports nerve and muscle function.*
• Helps maintain a normal, regular heartbeat.*
• Supports bone density.*
Magnesium is a dietary mineral with a wide array of biological activities
in the body. Magnesium participates in numerous life-essential processes
that occur both inside and outside cells. Magnesium deficiency impacts
normal physiologic function on many levels. Adequate magnesium is a
fundamental requirement for optimum function of the cardiovascular system,
the nervous system and skeletal muscle, as well as the uterus and GI tract.
Magnesium deficiency can affect health of the heart, bones and blood vessels
and alter blood sugar balance.1
Magnesium–Important for
Everyone, Deficient in Many
The average person living in a modern country today very likely consumes
less than the optimum amount of magnesium.2 An
abundance of data collected over the last two decades shows a consistent
pattern of low magnesium intake in the U.S. This pattern cuts a wide swath
across various age-sex groups. The USDA’s Nationwide Food Consumption Survey
found that a majority of Americans consumed less than the recommended daily
magnesium intake.3 Twelve age-sex groups were studied
and this low magnesium intake was true for all groups except 0 to 5 year
olds.
An analysis of the nutrient content of the diets of 7,810 individuals age
four and above included magnesium among several nutrients where the amounts
supplied by the average diet "were not sufficient to meet recommended
standards". 4 The FDA’s Total Diet study examined the
intakes of eleven minerals, including magnesium, among eight age-sex groups.
Data was collected four times yearly from 1982 to 1984. Levels of magnesium,
calcium, iron, zinc and copper were low for most age-sex groups.5
Surveys conducted in Europe and in other parts of North America paint a
similar picture. Loss of magnesium during food processing is one explanation
for this global lack of adequate dietary magnesium.6
In particular, the elderly may be susceptible to magnesium deficiency for
a variety of reasons, including inadequate magnesium intake, poor absorption
due to impaired gastrointestinal function and use of drugs such as diuretics
that deplete magnesium from the body.7 It has recently
been theorized that magnesium deficiency may contribute to accelerated
aging, through effects on the cardiovascular and nervous systems, as well as
muscles and the kidneys. 8
Women who take both synthetic estrogen and calcium supplements may be at
risk for low blood levels of magnesium.9 Estrogen
promotes the transfer of magnesium from blood to soft–tissues. Low blood
magnesium may result if the ratio of calcium to magnesium intake exceeds 4
to 1. Magnesium supplementation is thus advisable for women taking estrogen
and calcium.
Young adults are not immune to magnesium deficiency. The University of
California’s Bogalusa Heart Study collected nutritional data from a
cross-sectional sample of 504 young adults between age 19 and 28.10
The reported intake of magnesium, along with several other minerals and
vitamins, was below the RDA.
Glycine is a highly effective mineral chelator. This is because it is a
low-molecular-weight amino acid, hence is easily transported across the
intestinal membrane. A study conducted at Weber State University found this
particular magnesium glycinate was absorbed up to four times more
effectively than typical magnesium supplements.
Magnesium-the Versatile Mineral
The average adult body contains anywhere from about 21 to 28 grams of
magnesium. Approximately 60 percent of the body’s magnesium supply is stored
in bone. Soft tissue, such as skeletal muscle, contains 38%, leaving only
about 1 to 2% of the total body magnesium content in blood plasma and red
blood cells. Magnesium in the body may be bound either to proteins or
"anions" (negatively charged substances.) About 55% of the body’s magnesium
content is in the "ionic" form, which means it carries an electrical charge.
Magnesium ions are "cations," ions that carry a positive charge. In its
charged state, magnesium functions as one of the mineral "electrolytes."
Magnesium works as a "co-factor" for over 300 enzymatic reactions in the
body. Metabolism uses a phosphate containing molecule called "ATP" as its
energy source. Magnesium is required for all reactions involving ATP.11
ATP supplies the energy for physical activity, by releasing energy stored in
"phosphate bonds".
Skeletal and heart muscle use up large amounts of ATP. The energy for
muscle contraction is released when one of ATP’s phosphate bonds is broken,
in a reaction that produces ADP. Phosphate is added back to ADP, re-forming
ATP. ATP also powers the cellular "calcium pump" which allows muscle cells
to relax. Because it participates in these ATP-controlled processes,
magnesium is vitally important for muscle contraction and relaxation. By
controlling the flow of sodium, potassium and calcium in and out of cells,
magnesium regulates the function of nerves as well as muscles.12
Magnesium’s importance for heart health is widely recognized. The heart
is the only muscle in the body that generates its own electrical impulses.
Through its influence on the heart’s electrical conduction system, magnesium
is essential for maintenance of a smooth, regular heartbeat.13
Magnesium appears to help the heart resist the effects of systemic
stress. Magnesium deficiency aggravates cardiac damage due to acute systemic
stress (such as caused by infection or trauma), while magnesium
supplementation protects the heart against stress.14
This has been found true even in the absence of an actual magnesium deficit
in the body.
Evidence suggests that magnesium may help support mineral bone density in
elderly women. In a two-year open, controlled trial, 22 out of a group of 31
postmenopausal women who took daily magnesium supplements showed gains in
bone density. A control group of 23 women who declined taking the
supplements had decreases in bone density.15 The
dietary intakes of magnesium, potassium, fruit and vegetables are associated
with increased bone density in elderly women and men.16
In an interesting animal study, rats were fed diets with either high or low
levels of magnesium. Compared to the high magnesium-fed rats, bone strength
and magnesium content of bone decreased in the low-magnesium rats, even
though these rats showed no visible signs of magnesium deficiency.17
While this finding may or may not apply to humans, it raises the
possibility that diets supplying low magnesium intakes may contribute to
weakening of bone in the elderly.
Maximizing Absorption––Chelated
Minerals Explained
Mineral absorption occurs mainly in the small intestine. Like any mineral,
magnesium may be absorbed as an "ion," a mineral in its elemental state that
carries an electric charge. Mineral ions cross the intestinal membrane
either through "active transport" by a protein carrier imbedded in the cells
lining the membrane inner wall, or by simple diffusion. The magnesium in
mineral salts is absorbed in ionic form. However, absorption of ionic
minerals can be compromised by any number of factors, including: 1) Low
solubility of the starting salt, which inhibits release of the mineral ion,
and 2) Binding of the released ion to naturally occurring dietary factors
such as phytates, fats and other minerals that form indigestible mineral
complexes.18
A second absorption mechanism has been discovered for minerals.
Experiments have shown that minerals chemically bonded to amino acids
(building blocks of protein) are absorbed differently from mineral ions.
This has given rise to the introduction of "chelated" minerals as dietary
supplements. Mineral amino acid chelates consist of a single atom of
elemental mineral that is surrounded by two or more amino acid molecules in
a stable, ring-like structure.
Unlike mineral salts, which must be digested by stomach acid before the
desired mineral portion can be released and absorbed, mineral chelates are
not broken down in the stomach or intestines. Instead, chelates cross the
intestinal wall intact, carrying the mineral tightly bound and hidden within
the amino acid ring. The mineral is then released into the bloodstream for
use by the body.
Research by pioneers in the field of mineral chelation and human nutrition
indicates that the best-absorbed chelates consist of one mineral atom
chelated with two amino acids. This form of chelate is called a "di-peptide."
Compared to other chelates, di-peptides have the ideal chemical attributes
for optimum absorption.19 Dipeptide chelates
demonstrate superior absorption compared to mineral salts. For example, a
magnesium di-peptide chelate was shown to be four times better absorbed than
magnesium oxide.20
Consumer Alert! Not all "amino acid chelates" are true chelates. In order
for a mineral supplement to qualify as a genuine chelate, it must be
carefully processed to ensure the mineral is chemically bonded to the amino
acids in a stable molecule with the right characteristics. The magnesium
bis-glycinate/lysinate in High Absorption Magnesium is a genuine di-peptide
chelate ("bis" means "two"). It has a molecular weight of 324 daltons,
considerably lower than the upper limit of 800 daltons stated in the
definition of "mineral amino acid chelates" adopted by the National
Nutritional Foods Association in 1996.21
Bioperine® For Enhanced Absorption
Bioperine® is a natural extract derived from black pepper that increases
nutrient absorption.* Preliminary trials on humans have shown significant
increases in the absorption of nutrients consumed along with Bioperine®.22
Safety
Suggested Use: Two tablets two times per day, between meals.
Scientific References
1. Abbott, L.R., R., Clinical manifestations of magnesium deficiency. Miner
electrolyte Metab, 1993. 19: p. 314-22.
2. Durlach, J., Recommended dietary amounts of magnesium: Mg RDA. Magnesium
Research, 1989. 2(3): p. 195-202.
3. Morgan, K.e.a., Magnesium and calcium dietary intakes of the U.S.
population. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 1985. 4: p.
195-206.
4. Windham, C., Wyse, B., Hurst, R. Hansen, R., Consistency of nutrient
consumption patterns in the United States. J AM Diet Assoc, 1981. 78(6): p.
587-95.
5. Pennington, J., Mineral content of foods and total diets: the Selected
Minerals in Food Survey, 1982 to 1984. J AM Diet Assoc, 1986. 86(7): p.
876-91.
6. Marier, J., Magnesium Content of the Food Supply in the Modern- Day
World. Magnesium, 1986. 5: p. 1-8.
7. Costello, R., Moser-Veillon, P., A review of magnesium intake in the
elderly. A cause for concern? Magnesium Research, 1992. 5(1): p. 61-67.
8. Durlach, J., et al., Magnesium status and aging: An update. Magnesium
Research, 1997. 11(1): p. 25-42.
9. Seelig, M., Increased need for magnesium with the use of combined
oestrogen and calcium for osteoporosis treatment. Magnesium Research, 1990.
3(3): p. 197-215.
10. Zive, M., et al., Marginal vitamin and mineral intakes of young adults:
the Bogalusa Heart Study. J Adolesc, 1996. 19(1): p. 39-47.
11. McLean, R., Magnesium and its therapeutic uses: A review. American
Journal of Medicine, 1994. 96: p. 63-76.
12. Graber, T., Role of magnesium in health and disease. Comprehensive
Therapy, 1987. 13(1): p. 29-35.
13. Sueta, C., Patterson, J., Adams, K., Antiarrhythmic action of
pharmacological administration of magnesium in heart failure: A critical
review of new data. Magnesium Research, 1995. 8(4): p. 389-401.
14. Classen, H.-G., Systemic stress, magnesium status and cardiovascular
damage. Magnesium, 1986. 5: p. 105-110.
15. Stendig-Lindberg, G., Tepper, R., Leichter, I., Trabecular bone density
in a two year controlled trial of peroral magnesium in osteoporosis.
Magnesium Research, 1993. 6(2): p. 155-63.
16. Tucker, K., et al., Potassium, magnesium, and fruit and vegetable
intakes are associated with greater bone mineral density in elderly men and
women. Am J Clin Nutr, 1999. 69(4): p. 727-736.
17. Heroux, O., Peter, D., Tanner, A., Effect of a chronic suboptimal intake
of magnesium on magnesium and calcium content of bone and bone strength of
the rat. Can J. Physiol. Pharmacol., 1975. 53: p.304-310.
18. Pineda, O., Ashmead, H.D., Effectiveness of treatment of irondeficiency
anemia in infants and young children with ferrous bisglycinate chelate.
Nutrition, 2001. 17: p. 381-84.
19. Adibi, A., Intestinal transport of dipetides in man: Relative importance
of hydrolysis and intact absorption. J Clin Invest, 1971. 50: p. 2266-75.
20. Ashmead, H.D., Graff, D., Ashmead, H., Intestinal Absorption of Metal
Ions and Chelates. 1985, Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas.
21. NNFA definition of mineral amino acid chlelates, in NNFA Today. 1996. p.
15.
*Above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.