MagTech’s magnesium taurate is a highly effective magnesium supplement in which the magnesium ion is chelated to the ‘amino-acid-like taurine molecule.  The chelated form of magnesium has a high bioavailability and is easily absorbed from the gastro intestinal tract. Magnesium has been shown in clinical studies to have a strong anti-anxiety, calming effect. Taurine, among its many other health benefits also has anxiety preventing action. Therefore the two components of MagTech’s magnesium taurate work synergistically to prevent feelings of anxiety, and help you deal with mental stress.

Taurine is sometimes referred to as an amino acid. However, although it has an amino group, it is in fact a sulfonic acid, and does not have a carboxyl group. Therefore it is not an amino acid, by the general definition, and it is not found as a constituent of any protein. Taurine is naturally present in the body; it is easily absorbed from the digestive tract, and can cross the blood brain barrier. Magnesium taurate, therefore has good bioavailability and does not stay in the digestive tract for lengthy periods of time. Similarly to other forms of chelated magnesium, it doesn’t cause the unpleasant gastro-intestinal side effects of some magnesium compounds, such as magnesium sulphate, which is a major constituent of laxative medication.

Both magnesium and taurine have anti-anxiety, calming effects, and this is the major function they fulfil as constituents of MagTech. Stress and anxiety are a major problem in modern society. Although at first glance it might not seem as if this is so important for mental performance, it is impossible to learn or be creative when suffering from stress. Generalised anxiety has a debilitating effect on many people’s life. As well as preventing clear thinking, stress has a very serious effect on your physical health. Through its calming, anxiety-preventing action, MagTech’s magnesium taurate helps you achieve your full cognitive potential and focus your mental powers on achieving your goals.

Magnesium exerts anti-stress and anti-anxiety actions

Magnesium seems to exert its anti-stress effects on many levels. Much of its anti-stress and anti-anxiety action is achieved by decreasing the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. Cortisol is the hormone which co-ordinates the body’s response to sudden danger. Although its actions are very useful when your life depends on the flight or fight response, in the long term it has many negative effects on the body. The problem occurs because cortisol evolved at a time when our ancestors were frequently face with acute stress, and they needed to make huge physical efforts to either escape it or fight their way through it. Once they were safe, however, they could relax and cortisol levels would go back down to normal. In our modern lives such acute, life-endangering stress is rare, we are usually faced with chronic stress, and often there is nothing we can do to resolve the situation. Chronic excess cholesterol has multiple negative effects on the body, including possibly the brain. Cortisol decreases protein synthesis and muscle formation, it leads to central obesity, suppresses the immune system, and decreases bone density. Recently it has also been implicated in depression. One theory of depression and other mental illness suggests that chronic hormonal imbalance results in some neurones being over-excited, which eventually leads to excitotoxicity and damage to the hippocampus.

It appears that magnesium counteracts the harmful actions of cortisol on several levels. First, it acts on the hypothalamus and inhibits the release of corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH). It also suppresses the secretion of ACTH hormone from the pituitary gland. ACTH is the hormone that acts on the adrenal glands to release cortisol, so with less ACTH there is less cortisol release. Finally increased magnesium levels make it more difficult for cortisol to cross the blood brain barrier and enter the brain.

Help overcome your deepest fears by elevating your brains magnesium levels 

A recent study shows that elevating brain magnesium levels might even help us overcome our deepest fears, phobias and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It seems that magnesium aids in a process known as fear extinction. Fear seems to be encoded by a region of the brain known as the amygdala. Memories of the negative experiences associated with certain conditions are stored in the amygdala, and when the conditions are encountered again, the result is fear. However, if the conditions are encountered repeatedly, with no associated negative experiences, the fear eventually disappears. These fear extinction memories are also initially stored in the amygdala, but then seem to be transferred to the prefrontal cortex. This is the basis of the most common treatment for phobias, which depends on gradually exposing the sufferer to whatever he or she fears. When the repeated exposure doesn’t result in any harm to the person, memories are encoded in the PFC that the object of the phobia is safe, and eventually the fear disappears. A 2011 study in the Journal of Neuroscience showed that when elevated magnesium levels increased the synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex, allowing the fear extinction memories to form faster, and enhancing the effects of the exposure therapy.

Magnesium in combination with taurine  lessen the effects of stress and anxiety

The relaxing action of magnesium works particularly well in combination with taurine, which also acts to lessen the effects of stress and anxiety. Animal studies models have shown that rodents exhibit far less stress and anxiety when their diet is supplemented with taurine. In addition to its effect in the central neural system, taurine has a multitude of positive side effects. It is an anti-oxidant and protects tissues and organs against oxidative stress. It is essential for the development of the brain, muscles, the retina, and is necessary for a correct heartbeat and for muscle contraction. It seems to have a strong anti-obesity action, prevents fatty deposits from forming in the liver and decreases the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood.

MagTech’s magnesium taurate is a highly bioavailable form of magnesium chelate, which is rapidly absorbed in the digestive system and can cross the blood brain barrier. However, taurine is far from just a carrier for the magnesium, it has multiple health benefits of its own, and acts synergistically with magnesium to fight anxiety and help you relax.

Further Reading:

Magnesium reduces cortisol release and hence the stress response:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12509067

Anti-anxiety actions of taurine:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16540157

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15240184