Magnesium

I remember in high school chemistry when we used to burn little strips of magnesium. A star of bright light ensued! But apparently magnesium is an important nutritional mineral. It is involved in quite a lot of important metabolic reactions.

Apparently, most people are magnesium deficient, thanks to the modern-day diet (most Americans get about half the RDI). It is also often used to treat CFS, with some success.

Mangan has an interesting post on magnesium and depression. Mg deficiency leads to increased inflammation, which can be an underlying cause for a great number of diseases. Oh, and here is an absurdly detailed page on magnesium and depression.

I found this page gives a useful overview on how best to supplement. In short:

• Use a magnesium chelate, as these are best absorbed.
• Don't take it all in one go - spread it out during the day, as there is a limit to how much you can absorb at a time.
• RDI is 400mg/day, but this is a bare minimum. Aim for 5-10mg/day of ideal body weight. So for me, that would be 350-700mg/day, and I would go for the higher number because of my CFS (which may implicate Mg deficiency).
  

When I finish this grain-free experiment, I'll give magnesium a go. Probably about 200mg three times a day to start with.