ok hi again LA!
yes magnesium is beneficial.
the reference range is 0.70 to 1.10 mmol/L but research has identified 0.90 mmol/L as a more appropriate minimum level for optimal health.
i supplement to keep my level above 0.90 and i can feel it in my muscles when i drop into the .80s.
the best form i have found to date is magnesium glycinate. or bisglycinate. at first i preferred carson's magnesium glycinate tablets. just because they were the first ones i managed to find.
now i prefer new roots magnesium bisglycinate because it is powder in a capsule, which just says better absorption to me.
UPDATE: it was too much absorption, i had a year of woeful side effects from taking mag bisglycinate on an empty stomach at bed time. it took me a year to realize that this form of mag supplement was giving me a horrific acid reflux cough resulting at first in lost time at work, sleepless nights, dry heaves, weight loss, it was terrible. took me a long time to realize it was this potent mag bisglycinate. i now take kirkman labs magnesium glycinate and i ensure that i take it midday before food so that it gets pushed down into my lower intestine before being absorbed.
magnesium glycinate or bisglycinate is better than other supplemental forms because they are more absorbable therefore more effective, and also since more soluble, you don't get the same problem with 'the runs' that you can get with higher doses of less soluble forms like oxide, citrate, etc
i currently take only 150 mg mag bisglycinate per day and it's not really enough. i should be taking about 4 of those pills. i can feel slight spasticity in my muscles so it's time to up my daily intake.
one great thing i discovered as an aside about magnesium is that my menstrual cramps which used to be excruciating, and for which as a teen i had been prescribed prescription pain medication, are gone. if i can feel pain when i have my period, it's an easy indicator saying that my magnesium status is poor.
i also like to keep high magnesium foods in my diet, such as 1c sides of wilted spinach or boiled swiss chard. more info:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tnam ... nt&dbid=75
magnesium is low in ms patients.. one study:
Magnesium concentration in brains from multiple sclerosis patients
M. Yasui, Y. Yase, K. Ando, K. Adachi, M. Mukoyama, K. Ohsugi
Acta Neurologica Scandinavica
Volume 81, Issue 3, pages 197-200, March 1990
Magnesium (Mg) concentrations were studied in the brains of 4 patients with definite multiple sclerosis (MS) and 5 controls. The magnesium contents were determined by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry in autopsy samples taken from 26 sites of central nervous system tissues, and visceral organs such as liver, spleen, kidney, heart and lung. The average Mg content in the CNS tissues, as well as visceral organs except for spleen, of MS patients showed a significantly lower value than that seen in control cases. The most marked reduction of Mg content was observed in CNS white matter including demyelinated plaques of MS samples. Whether or not these significantly lower Mg contents found in CNS and visceral organs of MS patients may play an essential role in the demyelinating process remain unclear, requiring further studies on MS pathogenesis from the point of metal metabolism.
coincidentally, magnesium has been shown to help keep blood flowing at the right velocity.
J Neurosurg Anesthesiol. 1999 Apr;11(2):96-101.
The effect of magnesium sulfate on cerebral blood flow velocity, cardiovascular variables, and arterial carbon dioxide tension in awake sheep.
Ludbrook GL, James MF, Upton RN.
Although there are data demonstrating reversal of cerebral vasospasm with magnesium sulfate, there is little information on the effects of magnesium on the normal intact cerebral vasculature. This study investigated the actions of magnesium on cerebral blood flow (CBF) velocity, cardiovascular variables, and arterial gas tensions. Magnesium sulfate was infused into awake, adult sheep at rates of 3 and 6 mmol/min to a total of 15 and 30 mmol, respectively. Direct arterial pressure, cardiac output, and CBF velocity were measured using chronically implanted catheters and a sagittal sinus Doppler flow probe. Arterial blood was sampled for magnesium concentrations and blood gas analysis. Infusion of both 15 and 30 mmol of magnesium increased CBF velocity by 14% (P = .056) and 24% (P = .023), respectively. These increases were accompanied by increases in arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) of 12% (P = .033) and 17% (P = .048). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that both PaCO2 (P = .00037) and magnesium (P = .0012) were important predictors of CBF velocity.
hope that helps!