Is Magnesium good to improve someone's memory that has MCI?

One has to be careful with "articles", which are not research. A good resource to check on the body of research of any drug or supplement is PubMed. That being said, it would be best to check with your mother's physician about magnesium and other vitamin levels, like D and B12. Magnesium supplements, especially Mg oxide, can cause diarrhea and GI symptoms. Mg oxide is the cheapest form and in many supplements.

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My husband has Parkinson's disease and I believe his is getting MCI. He takes magnesium 250 twice a day. He started it several years ago at the recommendation of his Dr. He was off it for a short while and during that time his legs began to cramp. Put him back on it and the cramping went away. I too would like to know if it would help the MCI. If so I could certainly up the dosage slightly. However, He does still have it at this time and has been taking the 250 mg twice a day for years.

Most people are deficit in magnesium, but there is NOTHING that slows, improves or curtails the ravages of dementia. However, I recommend taking it for migraines (as I do) and be sure you are NOT taking the tabs. Get it in gel form with 500mg which is more expensive, but it will do more good.

Before I added any supplement, I would have the doctor order a complete blood workup for vitamins and electrolytes. It will show where there are deficits. Elders often have deficits in Vitamins D3 and B12, which can be corrected by supplements. Electrolyte imbalances tend to be less problematical in most cases and can often be corrected by simple addition of a food, e.g. a banana or a leafy green dish for dinner (e.g., romaine salad, collards, turnip greens, spinach). The leafy green will also help avoid constipation.

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Not sure about magnesium. My mother had dementia shortly after her death I started to become really forgetful. Being a diabetic which makes you more at risk for dementia I had my B-12 checked. Sure enough it was very very low. Doctor started me on B-12 shots. I have been taking those for 5 months now and have seen a big improvement. I highly recommend having your B-12 checked.

I haven't seen any conclusive evidence that magnesium counteracts the effects of dementia, but am looking forward to further studies. What about Vitamin D? I started taking that daily, and my Mom has been taking it for the last two years. It can't hurt, and it might just help. Here's a link to the existing evidence, if anyone is interested: alzheimers/8-27-14-vitamin-d-and-dementia

I've no idea whether of not it helps with cognitive functions, but I've been taking it for decades—around 500 mg. per day—to balance my supplementary calcium. Calcium without the magnesium is constipating. Maybe it's doing something for my brain.

I know that B12 supplements really helped my Mom. I admit I know nothing about magnesium as it applies to elderly people but it is good for muscle repair and relaxation or so I've heard.

I remember discussing this briefly with my mother's GP. And it is true, at least, that magnesium is an important trace element that supports brain function. But I think the key word there is 'trace' - you really don't need much of it, and unless there is some concrete reason to believe that your mother is actually deficient in magnesium there is probably no point, but there is potentially some harm, in adding supplements to her diet.

To determine whether or not she is deficient in magnesium, you can ask for a blood analysis. Other factors to think about would include whether she is taking any medication, such as a PPI, or suffers from any condition that might interfere with digestion or absorption and prevent her from taking up adequate magnesium from her diet.

As a rule of thumb, I'd add that any article that talks about the wonders of anything, pretty much, is likely to be excitable baloney. It's dull but true that a well-balanced, varied diet will ensure that she has all of the vitamins and trace elements that her body needs. As long as she's not sensitive or allergic to them, and she doesn't dislike the flavour, nuts are a useful addition for all sorts of the rarer trace elements - if you're worried about choke risk, you can always grind them up fine and mix them into soups, cakes, or anything else she's fond of.

Sigh. Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were just one simple, easy answer? On a cheerier note, it genuinely is quite well established that dark chocolate is good for brain maintenance :) This is not an excuse for scoffing Hershey bars, alas. One teaspoonful of cocoa added to hot milk, and easy on the sugar; or one square of good quality plain dark chocolate - look for 70% minimum cocoa solids on the label; and that's your daily allowance. Only two cheers, then...

I don't know if it help memory but my dr keeps check on mine and has called twice to ask me if I was taking my magnesium and doubled my dose.

There is currently a clinical trial underway to test this, at Stanford University, but no results are available yet.

There are some risks involved in taking magnesium, so I would talk to Momma's doctor before starting her on it. In reasonable doses it is generally considered safe, and it might be worth a try while awaiting the study results, but as I say, I would talk to the doctor first.

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation has information about this on their website.