Medical contributor:
First revision: Overview
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and plays a crucial role in supporting various healthy functions, including s brain and heart function. Adding magnesium to your diet can offer many benefits, such as lowering blood sugar levels. However, magnesium deficiency, caused by stress or a low amount of magnesium in the blood, can be harmful to some people, causing symptoms like fatigue, nausea, and muscle spasms. If left untreated, it could lead to irregular heartbeat, personality changes, and seizures.
Focus, as defined by the Cambridge dictionary, means the ability to give your full attention to something. However, trying to maintain full attention can be uneasy at times due to distractions around us. Some factors can impair focus, such as:
- Poor diet and nutrition
- Lack of sleep
- Stress
- Hormonal changes
- Lack of exercise, etc
These factors s can be improved by eating a healthy diet, targeted supplemental nutrition, reducing stress, getting enough sleep, and regular exercising.
How does magnesium affect focus
Magnesium plays a crucial role in hundreds of physiological processes, including essential processes in the brain and nervous system. Magnesium is known to stimulate GABA receptors, calming the nervous system to downgrade anxiety and improve attention. Reduced GABA is linked to ADHD.1
Focus is an integral part of the learning process which people need focus to acquire learning and this may be a challenge. Adequate magnesium is linked to enhanced learning and making new neuronal connections in the brain. Magnesium also supports short and long-term memory.1
Research done by Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Open Network shows that there is a significant rise in the diagnosis of ADHD in adults, notwithstanding if they were diagnosed during childhood or not. Another research indicates that certain measurements of executive functioning, visual scanning, and number sequence can be improved with magnesium L-threonate.1
Which magnesium is best for focus
Only magnesium L-threonate has been proven to have effect on learning, memory and cognitive and also it has a high affinity for the brain. There are many reasons for you to start using magnesium which has a pleasant side effect that causes greater clarity and focus of your thoughts. Researches shows that magnesium L-threonate effectively improves both synaptic density and neuronal plasticity and therefore, both learning and memory. Magnesium L-threonate may also help people recover from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and also reduce the risk of age-related memory loss.
How much magnesium should I take for focus
As stated above, Magnesium L-thereonate is shown to be good for improving focus. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for magnesium is 420 mg for men and 320 mg for women but can vary slightly depending on age.5 But for magnesium l-threonate there is no RDA and it can be taken 1,500 to 2,000 mg per day for optimal cognitive benefits. These amounts seem much but research shows that only a fraction of magnesium l-threonate is elemental magnesium. 2,000 mg of magnesium l-threonate delivers only 144 mg of elemental magnesium.
To overcome overall magnesium deficiency, better choices are magnesium glycinate, citrate, or gluconate.5
Side effects and other concerns
Though taking magnesium l-threonate is a more effective way to increase magnesium concentrations in the brain than taking magnesium sulphate, there are some side effects l-threonate could cause.6,7 Taking a magnesium threonate supplement or any form of magnesium lead to the following side effects:
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal cramping
- Nausea
Consuming more than 5,000 milligrams (mg) of magnesium can cause magnesium toxicity. The symptoms of magnesium toxicity include:7
- Difficulty breathing
- Urine retention
- Lethargy
- Low blood pressure
Summary
Magnesium is a mineral required for good physical and mental health. Magnesium l-threonate is a form of magnesium that may have potential brain-related benefits and could be useful for managing certain brain disorders like age-related memory loss and depression. Taking Magnesium l-threonate and vitamins daily is recommended to improve focus.
References
- The Best Magnesium for Mood, Focus, Stress, Cognition and Other Neurological Issues.: Magceutics, LLC. https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2022/04/26/2429464/0/en/The-Best-Magnesium-for-Mood-Focus-Stress-Cognition-and-Other-Neurological-Issues.html. Accessed January 31, 2022
- Factors that affect focus and concentration. Bettermind. https://www.bettermind.com/articles/factors-that-affect-focus-and-concentration/ Accessed January 31, 2022
- Signs You May Have a Magnesium Deficiency. Early warning signs include fatigue and stiffness. Cleverland clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/feeling-fatigued-could-it-be-magnesium-deficiency-and-if-so-what-to-do-about-it/ Accessed January 31, 2022
- Magnesium: An Underappreciated Nutrient for Brain Health. The care group PLC. https://www.thecaregrouppc.com/magnesium-an-underappreciated-nutrient-for-brain-health/ Accessed January 31, 2022
- Deane Alban. MAGNESIUM L-THREONATE: BREAKTHROUGH BRAIN ENHANCER. https://bebrainfit.com/magnesium-l-threonate/#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20RDA%20for,What%20is%20this%3F&text=The%20manufacturer%20of%20Magtein%20suggests,day%20for%20optimal%20cognitive%20benefits. Accessed January 31, 2022
- Potential Side Effects of Magnesium Threonate. Natural Calm. https://naturalcalm.ca/magnesium-l-threonate/ Accessed January 31, 2022
