Your support helps us tell the story
Most polls show this election remains close. In a race this close, reporters are needed on the ground to talk to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to this story.
The Independent is trusted every month by 27 million Americans from across the political spectrum. Unlike many other quality news organizations, we don’t lock you away from our reporting or analysis with a paywall. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Please help us continue to bring these important stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
a A woman with no pores scoops a mysterious powder into an empty wine glass. She adds tonic water and lemon juice and takes a careful sip. “This is my magnesium mocktail,” she proudly declares to the camera. “I take it every night before bed.” She then reaps the benefits of its main ingredient, magnesium glycinate. This mineral is now being touted as a miracle supplement.
This influencer, a casually radiant 20-something in expensive silk pajamas, represents a growing movement in the wellness space. All over the internet, self-anointed gurus claim that taking magnesium in supplements improves sleep, reduces stress, reduces anxiety, and even improves digestion. Sounds like the perfect cure for life’s pain, right? The only problem is that we jump on the supplement bandwagon without doing any of our own research first.
Supplements have exploded into the spotlight recently, with dozens of influencer-backed companies popping up to offer products for everything from glowing skin to increased productivity to a better night’s sleep. It delivers the medicine it promises. While it’s long been standard procedure to take a daily multivitamin by the boot or flirt with the idea of taking Tess Daily tablets advertised in tubes, the supplement industry has recently undergone a commercial shake-up. I received it. Its size has nearly doubled since the pandemic, with vitamin sales up 60% post-COVID-19. The overall value of the nutraceutical industry is also predicted to reach £110bn by 2028. As a result, the products available to us today are more branded and widely sold than ever before. Online, 16-year-old girls toss around buzzwords like collagen, vitamin B12, and vitamin D while consuming anti-aging health hacks on the internet. Thanks to endorsements from celebrities like Bella Hadid, Kourtney Kardashian, and Taylor Swift, the 12-step morning supplement routine is considered aspirational.
I have also been fascinated by the supplement industry. Lately, my social media feed has been filled with ads claiming that taking a number of magnesium powders and pills will make you feel better. good. And when I saw Bella Hadid’s morning routine and saw the model take dozens of nutritional pills, drink various potions and rub essential oils into her skin before breakfast, I knew I wasn’t doing enough. I couldn’t help but feel it. Apparently the daily multivitamin wasn’t enough and was almost sold. I don’t sleep well and get tired a lot, but I was able to spend my time without anxiety. Could magnesium glycinate be the answer?
When I spoke with Jana Averovska, the pharmacy’s managing pharmacist, click pharmacyand she told me how supplements in general have undergone a huge makeover in recent years. “Health and wellness are top of mind for people,” she says, pointing to the proliferation of colorful Haribo-like vitamins now being sold to adults. “Gummy vitamins have gone from being something you give to kids to make their intake of vitamins more appealing to a product that’s very popular with adults.”
When it comes to magnesium glycinate in particular, its popularity can be attributed to its ability to relax muscles, potentially helping people sleep better. “Some studies have shown that it may help reduce muscle soreness and muscle spasms after intense exercise,” Abelowska explains. “Magnesium can also help treat anxiety, as it can lower cortisol, a hormone commonly associated with stress.” According to the NHS, this mineral helps turn the food we eat into energy. It helps the parathyroid glands, which produce hormones that help maintain bone health, to function properly. In the UK, it is recommended that adult men consume 300mg of magnesium per day, and women 270mg.
Averowska added that “transdermal” magnesium supplements (products that are absorbed through the skin), such as magnesium sprays, patches and topical creams, are also becoming more popular. This is in response to some studies claiming that supplements may work faster transdermally than in pill form.
Magnesium’s popularity is being felt across the industry. Rachel Mason, founder of a UK-based women’s wellness company our remediessays magnesium has become the biggest selling point of her business. Naturally, this is TikTok’s fault. Currently, the platform has over 200,000 videos where people are passionately talking about TikTok. “Magnesium is particularly beneficial during menopause and can help reduce symptoms such as insomnia, joint pain, and anxiety,” she says.
But she admits that deciding which supplements to take and where to start can be a daunting task. Magnesium citrate (not to be confused with magnesium glycinate) is a natural laxative, and many people report online that they’ve tried it but were caught off guard by this small, but disappointing aspect. . Mason recommends getting to know your body first before following someone else’s bespoke plan. “A personalized approach is key. I always encourage people to start by identifying their specific health concerns,” she says, adding that they should first and foremost determine deficiencies. added that it is best to ask for a blood test from your doctor. “This gives people a clear sense of purpose for the supplement and makes them more likely to continue taking the supplement.”
But the problem with the supplement industry is that products are marketed as shortcuts to better health or quick-fix solutions to long-term problems. He is a doctor of medicine and From exhausting to amazing!a book focused on optimizing energy and reducing chronic fatigue symptoms such as brain fog and insomnia. He says you should first analyze how nutritious your diet is before reaching for a new supplement.
“Food processing completely removes or destroys half of the vitamins and minerals found in a healthy diet,” he says. “This means that almost anyone who eats a typical Western diet high in sugar and white flour can benefit from a good multivitamin.” There are many magnesium-rich foods, such as seeds, to incorporate into your diet before going to artificial methods. Teitelbaum says that if you try a brand of multivitamin, it should contain strong B vitamins and at least 150 mg of chelated magnesium. “As with anything, it’s important to use good companies that make good products,” he says.
Trying a new supplement is unlikely to have any negative effects on your health. But our relationship with the wellness industry is one defined by speed and strong marketing. I was drawn to Hadid’s Mega Step Morning Routine not because I wanted to emulate it, but because her entire lifestyle is aspirational, and with enough supplements you can make it work. I thought I might be able to reproduce it. Perhaps it’s a good thing that we’re all becoming more mindful about our daily health, but as the lines between the luxury wellness industry and the pharmaceutical industry are blurring, a healthy dose of caution It is recommended that you pay. Making a “magnesium mocktail” may be an influencer’s answer to improving their night’s sleep. But for others, it may simply mean spending the night in the bathroom.
