Supports the heart, nervous system and cellular energy*
High Absorption Magnesium contains elemental magnesium chelated with the amino acids glycine and lysine. As an essential dietary mineral, magnesium plays many important roles which include: helping cells produce metabolic energy, supporting optimum nerve function, helping muscles relax properly and maintaining a healthy heartbeat. Glycine has been shown to be an efficient carrier for minerals that facilitate absorption in the intestinal tract. Glycine is used by the body to form collagen, a key protein in cartilage and connective tissue. Lysine is an essential amino acid that assists gastric function.
Suggested Use: As a dietary supplement, take 2 tablets twice daily, with or without food.
Supplement Facts Serving Size: 2 tablets Serving per container: 5 servings Amount Per Serving    %DV Magnesium (elemental)                                                          200mg          50% (from 2,000 mg magnesium glycinate/lysinate chelate**) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- †Daily Values Not Established.
**Amino acid chelate supplied by Albion Advanced Nutrition. The Albion medallion design is a registered trademark of Albion Laboratories, Inc. Chelate covered by Albion International, Inc., U.S. patent 5,516,925.
10T
High Absorption Magnesium contains elemental magnesium chelated with the amino acids glycine and lysine. As an essential dietary mineral, magnesium plays many important roles which include: helping cells produce metabolic energy, supporting optimum nerve function, helping muscles relax properly and maintaining a healthy heartbeat. Glycine has been shown to be an efficient carrier for minerals that facilitates absorption in the intestinal tract. Glycine is used by the body to form collagen, a key protein in cartilage and connective tissue. Lysine is an essential amino acid that assists gastric function.
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 that participates in hundreds of life-essential processes that occur both inside and outside cells of the body. Magnesium deficiency impacts normal physiologic function on many levels. Adequate magnesium is a fundamental requirement for optimal function of the cardiovascular system, the nervous system, skeletal muscle, the digestive tract, and the uterus. Inadequate magnesium not only affects the heart, blood vessels, and bones, but may also impact blood sugar balance as well.1, 2
Magnesium – Important for Everyone, Deficient in Many
An abundance of data collected from the last three decades shows a consistent pattern of low magnesium intake in a majority of the U.S. population, with estimates running as high as 75% of Americans not meeting the recommended dietary allowance.3-5 This pattern cuts a wide swath across various age, sex and ethnic groups. The most recent large scale report on the magnesium status of Americans aged 20 years or older evaluated data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2000. The authors conclude that a substantial number of U.S. adults still consume diets insufficient for meeting recommended standards of magnesium intake.6 Loss of magnesium during food processing and low magnesium content in commonly eaten foods serve as partial explanations for this lack of adequate dietary magnesium.7, 8
Of particular note, magnesium intake tends to decrease with age. 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.9 It has been theorized that magnesium deficiency may contribute to accelerated aging through effects on the cardiovascular and nervous systems, as well as on muscles and the kidneys.10
Women who take both synthetic estrogen and calcium supplements may be at risk for low blood levels of magnesium.11 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 the ages of 19 and 28 years.12 The reported intake of magnesium, along with several other minerals and vitamins, was below the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA).
Unfortunately, a low magnesium status may often not be recognized (both in the doctor’s office and in research studies) when blood concentrations are examined, and many people who could benefit from supplementation go without it.13
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 1–2% 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.14 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.15
Helps maintain a normal, regular heartbeat*
Supports overall cardiovascular health*
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.16 Magnesium appears to help the heart resist the effects of systemic stress, and magnesium supplementation has been found to promote heart health even in the absence of an actual magnesium deficit in the body.17 From 1925 to the present day, researchers have been conducting studies to investigate the link between magnesium and a healthy blood pressure.2 Evidence from these studies has led to recommendations in European, American, Canadian, and International guidelines about maintaining an adequate magnesium intake to promote a healthy blood pressure.18
In a Harvard study that followed 39,633 men for 12 years, the investigators noticed a modest positive relationship between magnesium and heart health in the subjects.19 In a recent study of women aged 47–75, higher magnesium intake was not only associated with a healthy heart rate, it was also associated with blood sugar balance, healthy cholesterol levels, and more efficient cellular metabolism.20
A recent review of magnesium’s relationship with markers of cardiovascular health and overall metabolic health cited several studies that demonstrated beneficial effects of adequate magnesium intake.21 One such study provided 5 weeks of oral magnesium supplementation and resulted in significantly favorable C-reactive protein (CRP) blood levels over subjects taking placebo. CRP is a general maker of inflammation in the body—so lower levels are desirable. Another study found that a representative sample of U.S. adults consuming magnesium at levels higher than the RDA had lower levels of CRP than those consuming less than half the RDA. In an assessment of over 11,000 subjects from the Women’s Health Study, magnesium intake was inversely associated with CRP.13 One explanation of how suboptimal magnesium status may adversely affect cardiovascular health is through its impact on oxidative stress: supplementation with magnesium has shown improved blood antioxidant status.
Supports Bone Density*
Magnesium intake is tied to skeletal bone health through several pathways.22, 23 Under normal physiologic conditions, parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion is low when magnesium intake is not adequate. Additionally, PTH resistance can develop. Adequate magnesium intake can support the normal function of PTH. Low magnesium intake is further associated with a disturbance in blood levels of the active metabolite of vitamin D, as well as an increase in cytokines, both of which may impact bone health.
Numerous studies, large and small, have examined the relationship between magnesium and bone health. The dietary intakes of magnesium, potassium, fruits and vegetables are associated with increased bone density in the elderly.24 In a study of 217 elderly subjects of both sexes, a decrease in bone mineral density was associated with lower blood magnesium levels.25 Research also suggests that magnesium may help support bone mineral density in females across the age spectrum. In a pilot study that followed 50 girls (ages 8–14) who were assessed as having low dietary magnesium, girls receiving supplementation for 12 months saw higher bone mineral content of the hip than those taking placebo.26 In a two-year open, controlled trial, 22 out of a group of 31 older women who took daily magnesium supplements showed gains in bone density, while a control group of 23 women not taking the supplements had decreases in bone density.27
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 by simple diffusion or through active transport by a protein carrier embedded in the cells lining the membrane inner wall. 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 other minerals, phytates, and fats, which form indigestible mineral complexes.28
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 bestabsorbed chelates consist of one mineral atom chelated with two amino acids. This form of chelate is called a dipeptide; compared to other chelates, dipeptides have the ideal chemical attributes for optimum absorption.29 Dipeptide chelates demonstrate superior absorption compared to mineral salts. For example, a magnesium dipeptide chelate was shown to be four times better absorbed than magnesium oxide.30
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 glycinate/lysinate in High Absorption Magnesium is a genuine dipeptide chelate. 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 (now known as the Natural Products Association) in 1996.31
Abbott, L.G. and R.K. Rude, Miner Electrolyte Metab, 1993. 19 (4-5): p. 314-22.
Barbagallo, M., L.J. Dominguez, and L.M. Am J Ther, 2007. 14(4): p. 375-85.
Durlach, J., Magnesium Research, 1989. 2(3): p. 195-203.
Pennington, J.A., et al., J Am Diet Assoc, 1986. 86(7): p. 876-91.
Alaimo, K., et al., Advanced data, 1994(258): p. 1-28.
Ford, E.S. and A.H. J Nutr, 2003. 133(9): p. 2879-82.
Marier, J.R., Magnesium, 1986. 5(1): p. 1-8.
Guerrera, M.P., S.L. Volpe, and J.J. Mao, Am Fam Physician, 2009. 80(2): p. 157-62.
Costello, R.B. and P.B. Moser-Veillon, Magnes Res, 1992. 5(1): p. 61-7.
Durlach, J., et al., Magnes Res, 1998. 11(1): p. 25-42.
Seelig, M., Magnesium Research, 1990. 3: p. 197-215.
Zive, M.M., et al., J Adolesc Health, 1996. 19(1): p. 39-47.
The magnesium found in Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium originally comes from magnesium oxide. Elemental magnesium is separated out of the magnesium oxide and chelated with the amino acids lysine and glycine. There are no left-over residues of the magnesium oxide in the finished product. It is 100% chelated magnesium lysinate-glycinate.
Q2.
How can you tell whether the Magnesium is being absorbed?
A2.
Absorption: One way to tell is that magnesium tends to relax muscles and make it easier to fall asleep. Absorption has to do with getting the substance from the stomach into the blood stream. If the tablets appear in the stool, it means they are not breaking down, which is not the same as not being absorbed.
One of the virtues of HAM is that it is very well absorbed. Most forms of magnesium are not very well absorbed (think of "Milk of Magnesia). The result of poor absorption is that the intestines get irritated and, in an attempt to get rid of the irritation quickly, the intestinal muscles vigorously contract and force the contents through more quickly (i.e. diarrhea).
Q3.
Are there any side effects to the High Absorption Magnesium?
A3.
Everything, including water, has unwanted side effects. Taking, and absorbing, too much HAM could cause diarrhea, or could make a person feel like their muscles have gone weak.
Q4.
How much "elemental" magensium is in each table of High Absorption Magnesium?
A4.
There is 100 mg elemental mag, which is chelated (bound) to 900 mg of "magnesium bis-glycinate/lysinate." This product has a much higher absorption and cellular utilization than non-chelated forms of magnesium.
Q5.
How much Lysine and Glysine are in your High Absorption Magnesium?
A5.
Our High Absorption Magnesium formula contains 4.93% Lysine and 45.75% Glycine.
Q6.
How long would it take for a TABLET to dissolve?
A6.
FDA Rules & Regulations require tablets to dissolve in 45 minutes or less. However, Doctor’s Best has made the requirement to be that tablets must dissolve in 30 minutes or less. Every lot of every tableted product is tested to verify that it dissolves in under 30 minutes.
Q7.
I am somewhat confused on how to take the DRB products. On many of the labels the Suggested Adult Use will list something along the lines of: Take 2 capsules daily, but it does not state whether they should be taken together or separately. What is the correct usage?
A7.
Unless otherwise specified on the label, the product may be taken together or separately.
Q8.
Is there a limit to how many vitamins can be taken safely in one day?
A8.
While our bodies need vitamins and minerals, like other things, if taken in large amounts they may adversely affect health. Large amounts of anything can be toxic. It is important to follow all label directions and discuss any concerns with your physician.
Q9.
What are the other ingredients and why are they used?
A9.
These are used as flow agents and aid in the production to keep the machinery running smoothly and the capsules filling correctly. Similarly for the croscarmellose sodium, which is cellulose (sourced from the cell walls of green plants), and is used to help disintegrate the tablet in the stomach.
Q10.
What is the croscarmellose sodium excipient that is found in several of the Doctor’s Best products?
A10.
Croscarmellose sodium is a commonly used excipient in tablets. It is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry as a "disintegrant," which means it helps tablets break apart in the stomach. In simple terms, croscarmellose sodium is made of cellulose gum with a very small amount of sodium. The sodium content is less than a half a percent (less than 0.5%). (Technically speaking, croscarmellose sodium is defined as "a cross-linked polymer of carboxymethylcellulose sodium.") Croscarmellose sodium is recognized as being essentially non-toxic and non-irritating.
Cellulose is a non-digestible fiber, which means the tiny amount in tablets passes through the gut without being broken down or absorbed. As far as adding to anyone's dietary sodium intake, the amount is too small to be of any consequence (Handbook of Pharmaceutical Excipients, 2nd Ed. American Pharmaceutical Assoc).
Q11.
It seems that information is now out claiming that magnesium stearate is a form of, or implicated in, trans fat, which everyone now regards as being bad. Why does Doctor’s Best use magnesium stearate in its products?
A11.
Magnesium Stearate is used to work as a lubricant in the formula. Magnesium Stearate is a salt of stearic acid. Stearic acid is a saturated fatty acid. A trans fatty acid (commonly shortened to trans fat) is an unsaturated fatty acid molecule. Stearic acid, being a saturated fatty acid, is not a trans fat. The magnesium stearate used in Doctor’s Best products is vegetable sourced from palm oil.
Q12.
What is the source of the cellulose found in the some of the Doctor’s Best products?
A12.
The cellulose is made from alpha cellulose from softwood pulp. This softwood pulp may be derived from hemlock, Spruce or other soft woods.
Q13.
What is the source of the croscarmellose sodium found in the some of the Doctor’s Best products?
A13.
It comes from pulp (cotton). It is non-GMO (genetically modified organism).
Q14.
Since Doctor's Best does not manufacture its supplements, how are the purity and integrity of supplements verified? In addition, how are your prices lower than other brands? Does this mean that quality is being compromised?
A14.
Doctor's Best supplements are manufactured in the US at cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practice) certified facilities. All of our manufacturers and suppliers go through our vendor qualification program, which includes inspections and testing, before we agree to work with them. Our finished products have also been tested at the raw material level, in process, and as a finished product to ensure safety and quality. We place the highest importance on safety and quality and do not compromise for the sake of a better price point. The price points are lower because of production size and the overall business structure. We also place great importance on making our supplements available and affordable to those who need them most.
Q15.
What is HPLC?
A15.
HPLC stands for "High Performance Liquid Chromatography." This is an analytical lab testing method that is used to quantify the active ingredients. It is considered to be a very sensitive and accurate test. HPLC testing is a tool recognized as a quality benchmark for herbal extracts.
Q16.
I heard that use of magnesium stearate with magnesium creates adverse effects. Is this true?
A16.
Magnesium stearate is the salt of magnesium and stearic acid. Stearic acid is a fat found naturally in the diet. Highest concentrations are in animal fats and cocoa butter (e.g. meat, chocolate) with lesser amounts found in vegetable and nut oils (e.g. corn oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil, coconut oil). Magnesium stearate is not a form of supplemental magnesium. It is an excipient used as a lubricant in the manufacturer of many pharmaceutical drugs and dietary supplements.
Q17.
What is the difference between Best Brain Magnesium and High Absorption Magnesium? Should I take both?
A17.
Magnesium is an essential nutrient used by at least 300 enzymes, and is important for healthy brain function. In well-designed animal experiments, Best Brain Magnesium (magnesium threonate) was shown to outperform other magnesium compounds in delivering magnesium to the brain. For individuals wanting to improve their brain function, we recommend two (2) veggie capsules a day of Best Brain Magnesium, which supplies 150 mg per day elemental magnesium.
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Magnesium is also important for healthy functioning of all the organs. Best Brain Magnesium has not been tested against other forms of magnesium for delivering magnesium to organs other than the brain. High Absorption Magnesium (100% authentic magnesium glycinate) is known to be efficiently absorbed and distributed throughout the body. Therefore, for individuals wanting whole-body magnesium support, we recommend two to four (2-4) tablets a day of High-Absorption Magnesium, which supplies 200-400mg per day of elemental magnesium.
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These two forms of magnesium can be taken at the same time to supply the brain and all the other organs with magnesium. Taking them together should not have any adverse effects up to a total combined intake of 350 - 550 mg per day of elemental magnesium. For best results, both products should be taken in two divided doses each day and with at least 8 ounces of water each time.
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