Managing PMS with Magnesium and Vitamin B6

Many women with PMS (premenstrual syndrome) benefit from supplemental magnesium combined with vitamin B6. These two nutrients are particularly beneficial for anxiety. A study at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom found that supplementation with 200 mg of magnesium plus 50 mg of vitamin B6 for just one month led to a reduction in anxiety, irritability, mood swings, and nervous tension. Although these supplements help almost immediately, correcting magnesium deficiencies may take several months. A healthier way to get vitamin B6 plus magnesium is to eat whole foods that are rich in both nutrients: bitter melon, New Zealand (summer) spinach, nopales, all kinds of peppers, purslane, regular spinach, Swiss chard, or yin tsai (amaranth greens).

Magnesium is also found in the outer coatings of nuts and seeds. This means it is relatively abundant in nuts with the “skin” left on and in whole grain, but relatively deficient in processed nuts and white flours. (You do not, however, have to eat the shells of nuts or the chaff of whole grain!)Two ounces of almonds or hazelnuts, four ounces of halibut or mackerel, a cup of cooked spinach or Swiss chard (or 2 cups of raw spinach or Swiss chard), four ounces of tofu, 1-1/2 cups of cooked brown rice, or an ounce (2-3 tablespoons) of wheat bran each provide about 1/3 of your daily requirements of magnesium. Magnesium is also provided by avocados, beans, peas, peanuts, and sunflower seeds.

For the magnesium in your food to be of benefit to you, your body has to absorb it. The magnesium in food is water-soluble, so you do not have to combine magnesium-rich foods with fat to slow down your digestion to “catch” magnesium. You only have to avoid certain foods and beverages that interfere with the absorption of magnesium. They include alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat—but you do not have absolutely to avoid these pleasurable additions to your diet absolutely to get magnesium from food.

Just avoid alcohol and caffeine (especially caffeine in iced tea, which contains chemicals that make magnesium insoluble) at the meals you eat magnesium-rich foods, and keep sugar and fat to a minimum. It’s also important not to eat magnesium-rich foods with soy. While soy products consumed in moderation provide other useful nutrients, and soy even increases the bioavailability of minerals other than magnesium when combined with beef or pork, a compound called phytic acid in soybeans transforms soluble magnesium into an insoluble form. If you are seeking to increase your body’s supply of magnesium, don’t eat soybeans with leafy greens, seeds, nuts, or fish.