(NaturalHealth365)  Are you or someone you love one of the 300+ million people living with an anxiety disorder?  If you are, we don’t blame you for being frustrated by conventional treatment options.  Anti-anxiety drugs and antidepressants come with unpleasant side effects like weight gain, fatigue, and restlessness.  So, if you’ve wondered if you’ll ever find a natural solution for your mental health trouble, you may want to start with magnesium.

A 2024 study published in Current Pharmaceutical Design examined magnesium’s mental health benefits, focusing on its effects on anxiety.  The researchers found that magnesium plays a crucial role in easing anxious thoughts and feelings by participating in key enzymatic reactions that stabilize neurotransmitters and aid in their release.

In an earlier study, a team of researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial on the effects of magnesium supplementation for depression.  Let’s take a look at what these scientists found.

Magnesium supplementation improves quality of life in people with anxiety, study reveals

In their study, the researchers recruited 126 adults from an outpatient clinic and randomly assigned them to a control group or a group that received magnesium supplements.

After 6 weeks, the researchers discovered that daily magnesium supplementation improved depression and quality of life.  “Similar effects,” the authors say in their conclusion, “were observed regardless of age, gender, baseline severity of depression, baseline magnesium level, or use of antidepressant treatments.”

Incredibly, these positive effects were seen within as little as two weeks.  Compare this to antidepressants, which typically take up to 2 to 3 months to start having any impact – if at all, since they don’t work for everyone.

It’s not hard to imagine how magnesium may prove to be an effective natural solution for anxiety.  For one thing, this essential mineral is involved in hundreds of physiological processes within the body – including those involving hormone function and regulation.

Plus, other studies indicate that magnesium deficiencies are associated with an increased risk for depression, so it makes sense that by correcting a deficiency, a person may resolve or drastically improve their depressive or anxious symptoms.

Amazingly, at least 50 percent of all Americans are magnesium deficient anyway!

It’s time that more doctors and psychiatrists talk to their patients about natural options for their mental health issues, in addition to or even instead of toxic and conventional medications.

Here’s how much magnesium you need and where to get it in your diet

The authors of this study gave the experimental group 248 mg of magnesium per day in an over-the-counter supplement form.  This is actually a conservative amount, at least according to the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements.  Generally, men and women are recommended to consume around 400 to 420 mg and 310 to 320 mg daily (respectively).

Magnesium is safe and well-tolerated, but if you take too much too quickly, you may experience things like stomach upset and diarrhea.  So, introduce your natural supplement slowly, and in the meantime, be sure to consume magnesium-rich foods like organic avocados, nuts and seeds, salmon, legumes, and dark chocolate.

Sources for this article include:

NIH.gov
Dr-Rath.com
NIH.gov
ADAA.org
Everydayhealth.com
Healthline.com
Verywellmind.com
Healthline.com