Magnesium and Depression
In depression studies of mice, researchers literally throw them into a water tank and observe them swimming. Healthy mice meet the challenge and swim. Depressed mice may swim at first but they will soon wear out and the only movements they will make in that tank of water are the minimal movements necessary to keep their heads above water. A 2004 study of the magnesium-depression link used the swim test to test the effect of magnesium depletion on depression and anxiety. They fed one group of mice a magnesium-depleted diet for a few weeks and fed control mice a regular diet. At the end of the study period, the poor magnesium deficient mice were prone to anxiety and to depression.
A bad depressive cycle is all about keeping your head above water. On bad days it is often all you can do to survive the day doing only the minimal activity required. Forget about outings, forget about shopping, forget about moving the garden hose. Survive the day. Keep your head above water. When the day is over and you have not drowned, it was a “win.” You survived.
Mice and rats must be a lot like humans. Their ability to fit in the smallest crack in my kitchen cabinets aside, when mice are depressed, all they can do is keep their heads above water on those bad days.
To decrease the number of your bad days and increase the time between those down cycles, make sure you have plenty of magnesium in your diet. You can do this two ways (and taking both approaches is not a bad idea):
- Take a daily magnesium supplement of 3-4.5 mg for every pound of your body weight (6-8 mg/kg) if you do not have a high-magnesium diet. Most of us, by the way, do not consume the RDA/DRI of magnesium. Consider a highly absorbed form of magnesium like magnesium taurate.
- Eat more magnesium-rich foods. The USDA calculates that the food in the figure above are your best bets for magnesium. Lots of vegetables, ideally heirloom varieties, are a very good bet for improving your magnesium levels and for getting all of the other benefits from the world of vegetables.
Improving your magnesium levels will likely alleviate your depression if you are deficient in magnesium. It will certainly help your overall health.
The book, Rebuild from Depression, reviews the top seven nutrient deficiencies associated with depression. It reviews how to identify a deficiency, the best form of supplementation, and the best food sources. It is recommended by readers and experts. Read more about the depression book.
Read More On Nutrients And Depression
Second chance, second baby (a recap)
Just over one year ago I announced here on this blog that I was expecting a baby in December. “I don’t know if I am feeling more fear or excitement, but it’s definitely a combination of the two,” I…
Start Today: Omega-3s and B-vitamins for Depression
I went to Trader Joe’s the other day and the free sample guy Bryan said “Hey, the depression book lady! You know, that stuff really works.” He went on to say that since we spoke last a few months ago…
Brain-building supplement giveaway: Omega 3, B complex, magnesium
The Rebuild from Depression book is coming this summer, long put off by a surprising and exciting discovery that I would be having another baby. In celebration of the much belated birth of the book and (more importantlly) in…
Iron, Depression, and the Postpartum Woman
Women who have been pregnant receive fair warning from obstetricians and midwives that they need to watch their iron intake. Hemoglobin levels get monitored in pregnancy. And though the poking and prodding gets old if you are the pregnant woman,…
Low Zinc and Depression: Shocking Discoveries
Most folks probably do not give a whole lot of thought to their zinc intake, but apparently, if your diet is lacking, one of the consequences is depression. Doctors who use an orthomolecular approach to treating depression such as those…
AVMA raw milk symposium; winner in the latest brain-building supplement giveaway
I head to Seattle late next week to participate in a symposium on raw milk, “The Raw Milk Conundrum,” sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association. I am neither a veterinarian or a member of the medical community, but…
Three giveaway winners, making up for lost time
I am making up for lost time in these giveaways since I was running around at a milk symposium. Last week was supposed to be a week of the desiccated liver giveaway. “Yummm,” you say sarcastically, but I have…
New “laugh for supplements” giveaway; giveaway results
After writing that last post, I sure do need to laugh. I figure we should work it in this blog one way or another. With the new month coming up, I thought I would change up the supplement giveaway…
I have suffered from depression for over 8 years. I had been put on lexapro for a while, but did not like it. I had been reading about using vitamin and mineral supplements to help depression and have been doing so for the past 2 years. It changed my life. the specific supplements that make the largest difference is the vitamin B complex and magnesium. I take B-Right and Magnesium Optimizer by Jarrow formulas. http://www.VitaminLab.Net has the best prices on these products and so I use them, but you can get them at any health food store or vitamin shoppe.
wishing everyone happiness and freedom from depression:)