Paul Mason 3: MAGNESIUM supplementationcan be helpful in maintaining critical potassium levels

interviewed by Dr Mariela Glandt

Question: How do you prescribe potassium in diet?

Personally, I:
-eat food that has a lot of potassium in it.
-put a lot of salt on my food
-if too much, my kidneys will sort it out

For my patients, who are insulin resistant:
-many are underdoing magnesium
-cannot reliably measure magnesium on blood test
-urine test (reliable) too expensive

Studies: Athletes (using urine test)
-40% deficient in magnesium

Magnesium essential for over 300 reactions in body
-it enhances body's capacity to
hold onto potassium

Supplementing with potassium is fraught with danger
-if not enough, can have a heart arrhythmia
-if too much, can have a heart arrhythmia!

Supplementing with magnesium helps
body address potassium levels!

In hospital, patients going into congestive cardiac failure...
-tried to get magnesium & potassium levels up
-if not, then getting potassium up would be problematic

I suggest for those not in optimal
metabolic health:
-magnesium supplements are okay

Question: Which magnesium formulation?

-aspartate? citrate? oxide?

Stay away from oxide formulation:
-causes diarrhea

If chelated with amino acids:
-amount too small

Magnesium citrate
-high levels of magnesium
-less prone to diarrhea-provoking

I usually start patients on this

Magnesium chelated with amino acids:
-reasonable to try these if citrate doesn't work well

Magnesium aspartate or orotate:
-underwhelmed by research on these