Have you ever had a moment when you blanked on a name? Or maybe you forgot where you put an important document? Staying cognitively sharp, especially as we age, can be a cause for concern, but rest assured there are steps you can take to help support your brain health. In fact, specific nutrients, like magnesium, can help keep your brain and memory strong.
Unfortunately, up to 50% of Americans consume less than the recommended intake of magnesium, and closer to 80% of older adults are estimated to be deficient in magnesium.1 Numerous studies have found lower levels of magnesium in Alzheimer’s patients, suggesting an important role that magnesium may play in supporting the aging brain.2
What Happens to Your Memory When You’re Deficient in Magnesium?
A lack of magnesium in your diet can hinder your brain’s ability to function properly and may even lead to neurodegeneration through the following processes:
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Disrupted Synaptic Communication – The neurons in our brains communicate with each other by sending electrical or chemical signals through small gaps called synapses. Magnesium is critically involved in the transmission of these signals, especially in regulating the function of certain receptors involved in memory. When magnesium levels are low, these receptors become overactive, disrupting a delicate balance in signaling, and leading to impairments in learning and memory.3
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Hippocampal Dysfunction – The hippocampus is a specific component of the brain strongly associated with memory and learning abilities. The hippocampus contains a high concentration of signaling receptors (think cell-to-cell communication antennas) that are regulated by magnesium called NMDA receptors. Without magnesium, NMDA receptors in the hippocampus become overstimulated, which causes damage to cells and eventually death of neurons.4
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Oxidative Stress and Inflammation – Magnesium plays an important role in reducing harmful molecules that contribute to oxidative stress and cellular damage in the brain. Many functions of magnesium maintain the balance of ions (charged particles that can cause oxidative stress) in the brain. When there is a loss of homeostasis (or balance), oxidative stress and inflammation increase. In fact, magnesium deficiency has been associated with chronic inflammation in the brain.3
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Increased Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease – Neuroinflammation and oxidative stress are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. Damage and death of neurons, especially in regions of the brain involved in memory processes, make it difficult for the brain to function properly, contributing to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Magnesium helps reduce the triggers that cause neuroinflammation and helps lessen the neuroinflammation itself.3
Magnesium Benefits: The Connection Between Magnesium and Sharper Memory
As you can see, a deficiency in magnesium can have many harmful effects on the brain. But what about magnesium benefits for memory? Here we share how magnesium supports brain health and the benefits of taking magnesium for memory loss:
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Promotes Neurotransmitter Balance – Magnesium helps maintain a balance between excitatory and inhibitor signaling molecules in the brain. This results in neurons passing the correct signals between cells, allowing the brain to respond appropriately to different stimuli.3
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Boosts NAD+ Production – NAD+ is involved in many metabolic reactions that help us generate energy for our cells to use. It is specifically important in the brain as neurons require a lot of energy to function properly and support optimal cognitive functioning. Magnesium helps NAD+ interact with other molecules more efficiently to have a greater effect.5
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Regulates NMDA Receptors – As we mentioned above, NMDA receptors are critical in learning and memory formation. Having adequate magnesium in the brain allows these receptors to function properly, helping us form and store new memories.6
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Supports Synaptic Plasticity – The synapses that allow information to pass between neurons have an important element of plasticity which allows them to respond differently over time. This is crucial to our ability to learn and memorize things. Magnesium supports synaptic plasticity by helping to rearrange the connections in a synapse.7
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Facilitates Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) – LTP is one method of synaptic plasticity that is involved in learning and allows neurons to respond to certain stimuli more easily after a period of frequent stimulation. Magnesium supports LTP through its regulation of NMDA receptors.6
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Improves Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation – Sleep is critically important for storing memories and magnesium plays an important role in supporting healthy sleep by balancing neurotransmitters and regulating the circadian rhythm.8
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Enhances Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) – BDNF is a protein that supports the growth, maintenance, and survival of neurons and is therefore very important for cognitive functioning. Magnesium has been shown to increase BDNF levels in some studies.3
Explore more about the countless benefits of magnesium for memory and learn about deficiency signs to look out for, how to include more of it in your diet, plus more with our FREE E-guide, click here for your copy.
Which Magnesium Form is Best for My Memory?
There are many different forms of magnesium out there, and we encourage you to check out our previous article that goes into more depth on the different forms of magnesium.
Two forms of magnesium we would like to highlight for sharper memory are magnesium bisglycinate and magnesium L-Threonate.
Magnesium Bisglycinate: this form of magnesium is commonly used when targeting the brain because it has the ability to cross the blood-brain-barrier and exert effects on the brain. It has been studied for its benefits on anxiety, insomnia, and cognitive health and tends to have fewer GI side effects than other forms of magnesium.9
Magnesium L-Threonate: this is a newer form of magnesium that was developed to specifically target the brain. Magnesium L-Threonate has been shown to have high absorption in the brain, potentially allowing it to contribute to the many important brain health benefits of magnesium. However, a higher dosage of magnesium L-Threonate is often required compared to other forms of magnesium.6
Our nutritional supplement called RELEVATE contains a magnesium bisglycinate chelate form, designed for increased absorption. Older adults often have a decreased ability to absorb nutrients like magnesium, so this form helps increase magnesium levels more effectively, while having a reduced risk of dehydration or abdominal discomfort compared to other forms of magnesium.10 The magnesium dosage in RELEVATE is based on scientific evidence suggesting the optimal amount for beneficial brain health outcomes. Learn more and order RELEVATE by visiting here.
Magnesium is a critically important nutrient to avoid harmful effects on the brain and promote optimal memory and brain health, especially as we age. If you think you may be deficient, consider increasing your intake of magnesium to unlock the benefits of magnesium for memory.
References
1. Rosanoff A, Weaver CM, Rude RK. Suboptimal magnesium status in the United States: Are the health consequences underestimated? Nutr Rev. 2012. doi:10.1111/j.1753-4887.2011.00465.x
2. Du K, Zheng X, Ma ZT, Lv JY, Jiang WJ, Liu MY. Association of Circulating Magnesium Levels in Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease From 1991 to 2021: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Aging Neurosci. 2022;13(January):1-12. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2021.799824
3. Maier JAM, Locatelli L, Fedele G, Cazzaniga A, Mazur A. Magnesium and the Brain: A Focus on Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration. Int J Mol Sci. 2023;24(1). doi:10.3390/ijms24010223
4. Xu P, Cui D, Jin M, Sun L. Magnesium ions and dementia. J Neurorestoratology. 2024;12(1):100094. doi:10.1016/j.jnrt.2024.100094
5. Christensen KE, Mirza IA, Berghuis AM, MacKenzie RE. Magnesium and phosphate ions enable NAD binding to methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase-methenyltetrahydrofolate cyclohydrolase. J Biol Chem. 2005;280(40):34316-34323. doi:10.1074/jbc.M505210200
6. Slutsky I, Abumaria N, Wu LJ, et al. Enhancement of Learning and Memory by Elevating Brain Magnesium. Neuron. 2010;65(2):165-177. doi:10.1016/J.NEURON.2009.12.026
7. Zhou H, Bi GQ, Liu G. Intracellular magnesium optimizes transmission efficiency and plasticity of hippocampal synapses by reconfiguring their connectivity. Nat Commun. 2024;15(1). doi:10.1038/s41467-024-47571-3
8. Zhang Y, Chen C, Lu L, et al. Association of magnesium intake with sleep duration and sleep quality: findings from the CARDIA study. Sleep. 2022;45(4):1-8. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsab276
9. Ates M, Kizildag S, Yuksel O, et al. Dose-Dependent Absorption Profile of Different Magnesium Compounds. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2019. doi:10.1007/s12011-019-01663-0
10. Magnesium - Health Professional Fact Sheet. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/. Accessed January 29, 2025.