LOS ANGELES, Nov. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Magnesium supplements can decrease the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), such as mood swings, irritability, depression, anxiety, bloating, fluid retention, breast tenderness, sugar cravings, headaches and poor sleep, which affect 75 percent of women. And in 20 percent of those women, the symptoms are so severe that they need medical treatment.

"Just because you are a woman does not mean you have to suffer through these symptoms. Taking magnesium supplements is the solution for PMS," advises Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, magnesium expert and Medical Advisory Board member of the Nutritional Magnesium Association, at www.nutritionalmagnesium.org.

Recent studies show that using magnesium with vitamin B6 significantly decreases PMS symptoms.¹ In another study, magnesium positively influenced anxiety and depression symptoms as well as nausea and constipation.²

In an earlier study that involved 192 women taking 400 mg of magnesium daily for PMS, 95 percent experienced less breast pain and had less weight gain, 89 percent suffered less nervous tension, and 43 percent had fewer headaches.³

In a small trial of 32 women, oral magnesium was found to be an effective treatment for premenstrual symptoms related to mood changes.⁴ Treatment with magnesium has been found to ease headaches, sugar cravings, low blood sugar and dizziness associated with PMS.^5,6

Dr. Dean points out, "The research shows that suffering related to menstrual cycles is unnecessary, and many of the causes such as diet, environmental toxins, and stress are not beyond one's control. Magnesium is known as the anti-stress mineral. Magnesium is a natural detoxifier and muscle relaxer and helps with constipation and painful cramps, but unfortunately most women are deficient in this mineral and do not get enough from their diet. Our soils and foods have been depleted of this mineral due to modern farming practices and food processing procedures, so supplementing is a vital necessity."

A diet review⁷ shows that women suffering from PMS followed diets that were
275 percent higher in refined sugar
79 percent higher in dairy products
78 percent higher in sodium
77 percent lower in magnesium
63 percent higher in refined carbohydrates
53 percent lower in iron
52 percent lower in zinc

Dr. Dean adds: "Women can get depressed before their periods, but PMS is not just depression. Yet PMS is often considered by medical doctors and pharmaceutical companies to be a psychiatric condition suitable for treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem). But remember that a lack of fluoxetine does not cause PMS symptoms; a lack of magnesium does. The replacement of magnesium in the body will treat PMS and cause no side effects. In fact, it has also been found that magnesium relieves the depression of premenstrual syndrome by positively influencing serotonin activity naturally. Sarafem can make no such claim."

Not all forms of magnesium are easily absorbed by the body. For example, magnesium oxide has approximately a 4 percent absorption rate. Magnesium citrate powder mixed with hot or cold water is a highly absorbable form that can be sipped throughout the day.

A 32-page guide to the benefits of magnesium is available as a free download at www.nutritionalmagnesium.org.

About the Nutritional Magnesium Association

The nonprofit Nutritional Magnesium Association (NMA) is a trusted authority on the subject of magnesium and is a resource for all people affected by the widespread magnesium deficiency in our diets and the related health issues associated with this deficiency. For more information, www.nutritionalmagnesium.org.

References:

1.   Fathizadeh N, Ebrahimi E, Valiani M, Tavakoli N, Yar MH. "Evaluating the effect of magnesium and magnesium plus vitamin B6 supplement on the severity of premenstrual syndrome." Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. December 2010; 15 (Suppl 1): 401–5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22069417
2.   Quaranta S, Buscaglia MA, Meroni MG, Colombo E, Cella S. "Pilot study of the efficacy and safety of a modified-release magnesium 250 mg tablet (Sincromag) for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome." Clin Drug Investig. 2007; 27 (1): 51–58. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17177579
3.   Werbach M. "Premenstrual syndrome: magnesium." Townsend Letter for Doctors. June 1995: 26.
4.   Facchinetti F, Borella P, Sances G, Fioroni L, Nappi RE, Genazzani AR. "Oral magnesium successfully relieves premenstrual mood changes." Obstet Gynecol. August 1991; 78 (2): 177–81.
5.   Somer E. The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals. New York, NY: HarperCollins; 1995.
6.   Murray MT, Pizzorno J. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. 2nd ed. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing; 1998.
7.   Marz RB. Medical Nutrition from Marz. 2nd ed. Portland, OR: Omni Press; 1997.

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SOURCE Nutritional Magnesium Association

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