As more and more individuals begin to look for ways in which they can naturally inhibit the growth of candida in the body, the use of magnesium supplements is often brought up.

Many claim that those suffering from candida overgrowth oftentimes are deficient in this key mineral and that supplementation can be very beneficial.  In fact, it’s been shown that over half of the population does not get enough magnesium daily which is needed for optimal health (1).

As a result, many individuals choose to supplement with magnesium in order to help prevent deficiency and boost overall health in the body.  However, are these supplements actually beneficial for the body?  Also, is magnesium supplement OK for those with candida overgrowth?

Luckily, by the end of this post, you will learn all the benefits of magnesium and will have a better idea as to whether or not you should supplement with it!

What is Magnesium?

Magnesium is often referred to as “The Master Mineral” by many health experts.  This is because magnesium is responsible for over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body (2).  Being just even slightly deficient in this mineral can lead to poor health and can cause both mental and physical symptoms.

Magnesium is also a potent stress reducing mineral.  It’s responsible for relaxing the muscles and promoting feelings of calmness in the body.  It works along side calcium and most magnesium supplements come with added calcium. 

Also, magnesium is abundant in all dark leafy greens.  In fact, magnesium is bound to chlorophyll in all green plants.  As a result, anything high in chlorophyll will also naturally be high in magnesium as well.  Unfortunately, raw greens also contain anti-nutrients which can hinder mineral absorption and cause intestinal health issues.  It’s for this reason that if you’re going to eat greens, always make sure that they’re well cooked in order to lower the amount of anti-nutrients.

However, out of all the natural sources in the world, sea water contains the most magnesium (more on this later).  That being said, anything that comes from the sea, or grows close to it, is typically also high in magnesium as well.

Why Magnesium is Beneficial for Candida

Those suffering from candida overgrowth can benefit immensely by increasing their intake of magnesium.  This is because all bodily functions typically improve when magnesium levels are increased to where they should be in the body.

In fact, one study found that magnesium helped to inhibit the growth of candida in patients dealing with mouth related candida infections (3).  Furthermore, it’s been shown that patients dealing with constipation, which is a common condition experienced by most with candida, respond extremely well when supplemental magnesium is added to the diet (4).

However, magnesium is also important for maintaining and improving digestive health in the body.  In particular, magnesium deficiency has been shown to alter the gut microbiota in a negative manner which can induce depressive like behavior in the host (5).

Interestingly, it’s well known that candida overgrowth can cause mental health issues in those suffering with this pathogenic fungus.  In fact, it’s been shown that those dealing with candida overgrowth struggle to recover from mental health issues such as depression (6).

To put it simply, magnesium is crucial for anyone dealing with this pathogenic fungal overgrowth.  Being deficient in this mineral can make candida symptoms much worse and can cause the body to operate at a much lower level.

Best Magnesium Supplements for Candida

In truth, we do not recommend synthetic magnesium supplements to those dealing with candida overgrowth, or for those seeking optimal health.  This is because magnesium is never isolated in nature.  It always comes bound to a wide array of minerals that help in the absorption and help to maintain a delicate balance between all the minerals in the body.

It’s for this reason that isolated forms of magnesium should be avoided in our opinion.  Although these supplements may be beneficial in the beginning, overtime they tend to cause a mineral imbalance in the body.

That said, if you’re determined to include a magnesium supplement into your diet, we recommend you use ones that come from the sea.  These magnesium supplements will be labeled as “magnesium chloride.”  Popular manufacturers of this form of magnesium use solar evaporation of sea water in order to create their magnesium supplement.  The evaporation process dissipates most of the salt and leaves behind high amounts of magnesium and other trace minerals.

In our opinion, these types of magnesium supplements are best and are more “natural” than most synthetic isolated supplements.

Beyond Magnesium Supplementation – Sea Salt

Although high quality magnesium supplements can be beneficial, sea salt contains high amounts of magnesium as well other trace minerals in perfect balance.  In particular, Celtic Sea Salt is very high in the mineral magnesium.  In fact, all good quality sea salts contain an abundance of this important mineral.  As mentioned before, the ocean is a rich source of magnesium.

It should be mentioned that salt is necessary for life.  For example, our blood, tears, sweat, and spinal fluid are all salty.  Despite popular belief, the body is not made up of primarily water, but rather a combination of both water and salt.  Sodium is a necessary nutrient that is needed by all life forms for survival.

At first glance, the amount of magnesium contained in sea salt may seem minuscule.  However, there is more to the story than what meets the eye.  For example, the absorption of the magnesium contained in sea salt can be much greater than synthetic supplements.  This is because sea salt contains a wide array of minerals that help in the absorption.  Also, when dissolved in the body, the minerals in sea salt transform into an ionic form which is easily absorbed into the cells of the body.

Furthermore, salt helps the body hold water.  Constantly drinking water and running to the bathroom an hour later is a good way to flush out minerals from the body such as magnesium.  As a result, salt helps to naturally hold minerals in the body such as magnesium.

We highly recommend you watch the video below by Barbara O’Neil on how quality sea salt can help the body hydrate on the cellular level.  She also goes into detail how quality sea salts can help to increase magnesium content in the body.  Although long, the information contained within this video can be life changing.

Sea Salt – Powerful Anti-Fungal

Have you ever wondered why salt is added to most preserved foods? The answer is simple; it’s a powerful antimicrobial.  Sea salt has been used for ages in order to prevent growth of unwanted bacteria and to stop food from spoilage.

Interestingly, these antimicrobial properties found within the salt have a similar effect when taken internally.  It’s for this reason that salt was often fought over and was sought out after by man for centuries.

Many find that by upping their intake of a quality sea salt their digestion improves dramatically.  In fact, it’s well known that low salt diets tend to have a negative effect on digestion when followed long term.  This is mainly due to the fact the mineral chloride, which is abundant in sea salt, is needed in the formation of stomach acid.

However, salts natural anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties may be also why it’s so beneficial for improving digestion.  In our experience, those suffering from candida overgrowth can experience improvements in their overall digestion just by simply adding a quality sea salt into their diet.

The Verdict – Should you Take Magnesium Supplements?

In our opinion, a high quality magnesium supplement can be OK for those dealing with candida overgrowth.  However, we always recommend the magnesium chloride supplements that are produced through solar evaporation.  Personally, we believe that these supplements should be used short term – however, the decision is up to you.

Increasing your intake of natural sea salt can help to increase mineral levels in the body and allows the body to better hold onto magnesium.  In our opinion, a quality sea salt such as Celtic is worth its weight in gold!  This is in our opinion the best way to increase magnesium levels in the body naturally.

That being said, for those interested creating delicious and mouthwatering meals that are candida friendly, we highly recommend you check out our Crush Candida Cookbook.  Our cookbook contains over 20 recipes that will have you on your way to adding variety and taste into your candida diet!