Choosing the best magnesium citrate depends on intended use. It is important for healthy heart function, immune system, and muscle strength. A good diet should provide adequate magnesium, but supplements are available in pill or powder form. Magnesium citrate can also be used as a laxative or intestinal cleanser in solution form, but caution should be exercised and a doctor consulted if necessary. Some medications can interact with magnesium.
Choosing the best magnesium citrate depends on your intended use. If used as a dietary supplement, the best option is a pill or powder. If it is a general laxative or to cleanse the intestines before a medical procedure, then the best option is a water solution.
Magnesium is one of the most important minerals used by the body. In fact, it is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body. Magnesium is necessary for healthy heart function, to maintain strong blood vessels and muscles, and for a strong immune system. Several hundred chemical reactions in the body also involve magnesium.
A good diet should ensure adequate magnesium intake and avoid any magnesium deficiency. This diet should include green leafy vegetables, fish like salmon and halibut, nuts, seeds, and unrefined grains. Hard water and some mineral waters can also provide magnesium in a person’s diet.
However, if a person feels the need to take magnesium as a dietary supplement, or has been directed by a health care provider to do so, then magnesium citrate is often a good choice. This is because it is more easily absorbed by the body than many other types of magnesium supplements. For this use, it is best to take it in pill or powder form.
More commonly though, people will use magnesium citrate as a short-term laxative to treat constipation or to empty the bowels in preparation for a medical procedure such as a colonoscopy or abdominal surgery. For these uses, magnesium citrate is taken as a solution. Magnesium citrate solution works by drawing water into the intestines. This, in turn, helps to induce defecation. The amount of magnesium solution that is ingested and its frequency will determine whether it acts as a short-term laxative or an intestinal cleanser.
Magnesium citrate solution can be purchased off the shelf at a drug store. Some solutions are citrus flavored. The best option is the one that allows a person to ingest it more easily as needed. Chilling the solution before taking it can make it more palatable.
Please note that due to the importance of magnesium in the body as a mineral and its strong action in the intestines when administered as a solution, caution should be exercised when taking magnesium citrate. If nausea, vomiting, or intestinal distress or disturbance occurs, a physician should be consulted immediately. If a person has a history of kidney disease, they should tell their doctor before taking magnesium citrate supplements or ingesting it as a solution.
Also, certain medications can interact with magnesium. These can include certain blood thinners and antibiotics. If a person takes any type of medication, they should also inform a doctor before taking any type of magnesium.
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