In the past, I have only briefly mentioned supplements for those suffering from a fatty liver and I only wrote one dedicated article to the most popular one: Milk Thistle. I’ve also said in previous article that I am usually against most supplements and some e-mails I have received recently made me start a series on supplements for fatty liver to clear things out. Today we’re going to talk about Magnesium supplements for fatty liver / NAFLD.
Talking about supplements in previous articles, I said that I am not a big fan of them and I consider that a correct diet is all that you need in order to reverse your fatty liver. However, I was mostly talking about “miracle cures” and plant concoctions that have no proven positive effect over this condition. But I do understand that in some cases, taking dietary supplements – such as magnesium – is actually required and in many cases it could actually help. I am also sharing, towards the end of the article, the best magnesium supplements for you to take – so read on!
For now, let’s see why taking magnesium supplements might actually be very helpful for those trying to reverse their fatty liver and why you might want to start taking some today.
1. Magnesium and fatty liver connections
Studies made in 1972 and 2006 found out that many of the people with NAFLD had low magnesium levels. It wasn’t clear if this was just a coincidence, if the fatty liver itself caused the magnesium deficiency or it was this deficiency that played a role in getting the fatty liver, but the important thing is that people with NAFLD usually have low magnesium levels and dealing with that problem might improve the condition or stop it from becoming worse.
If we are to look at other countries, for example, we can find out that Traditional Chinese Medicine considers magnesium to be linked with liver and gallbladder health. I am not sure how much actual research has been made to support this, but this is also something to take into consideration.
2. Magnesium levels and stress
This is a theory of mine which seems to make a lot of sense. Take it with a pinch of salt since I have no medical background, but after a lot of research and studying my own reactions to this matter, this is the conclusion I have made.
Let’s go for the facts first (so this is not my take, these are results of actual studies and experts’ opinions): magnesium levels are highly connected with stress. Stress seems to be one of the causes of a magnesium deficiency in our bodies and lower magnesium levels can increase stress reactions as well. This is why many doctors recommend magnesium supplements to those who are under a lot of stress. I personally experienced this and saw great improvements (I am highly anxious and am under a lot of stress) after taking magnesium supplements.
And now my take on the matter: stress is extremely harmful for your entire body, having all sorts of side effects – long term and short term – that the medical world is still trying to figure out. Since stress is something extremely generic and it’s not considered a real diagnosis, there are many debates surrounding this subject. BUT it is clear to most people who have been under a lot of stress and have to deal with it on a daily basis that it exists and it is harmful.
I believe that stress and fatty liver go hand in hand. Not necessarily that one is the cause of the other, but that stress can have a negative impact on your liver, both directly and indirectly. When I am extremely stress, I have no control over my body and I am huge stress eater. When I eat for comfort, I don’t eat healthy food, in return hurting my liver even more. This is an example of what I mean about indirect damage that stress causes to our liver. Not to mention the fact that when you are under a lot of stress it’s more difficult to stick to your diet and stay positive – and then depression can kick in and things get even worse…
But there could be direct connections as well, with hormones harming our liver, with our liver trying to produce more enzymes to fight stress: as I said, since I am not a doctor, I can’t really give an educated opinion on this, but common sense and research prove that I might actually be right.
So the bottom line would be that stress levels can be reduced by getting extra magnesium in your diet. Even if stress is not directly connected to your fatty liver (which, as I said, I highly doubt – at least from the indirect effects), at least you get to fight stress itself by taking magnesium supplements. That’s still a win in my book!
What is the best magnesium supplement for you?
You should never – unless instructed by your doctor – take a magnesium supplement that gives you more than 100% of the recommended daily dose. Since a healthy diet for fatty liver includes foods that naturally contain magnesium (like fish, leafy greens, nuts etc), I would recommend to actually go for a Magnesium supplement that offers less than 100%. Take the supplements for 10 days every month unless otherwise instructed.
With these in mind, here are my best magnesium supplement recommendations. In order to help you with shipping costs and time, I will share with you links for US and the rest of the World, as well as UK and European Countries:
Doctor’s Best High Absorption 100% Chelated Magnesium
This is my recommended Magnesium supplement as it offers 50% of the daily dose recommended for adults or 200mg of Magnesium. As I said, I don’t take a supplement that gives 100% since I am supplementing my intake with a varied diet, but the extra bit helps.
US & World: Get it from here
UK & Europe: Get it here
Solaray Magnesium Supplement
This one offers 100% of the daily recommended magnesium intake and this is what you should get if you know you have a magnesium deficiency as it helps you get back on track faster and keeps your Magnesium levels in control.
US & World: Get it from here
UK & Europe: Get it here
If you really are not sure if this is the right move, you can easily do some blood tests and check your Magnesium levels. In my case, they were always a bit under or just above the lower limit – and that has been happening for years, so I constantly take Magnesium supplements. I am not sure if this has been part of things that helped me reverse my fatty liver, but it sure didn’t hurt!
