The expert said there’s currently not enough scientific evidence
A doctor has shared some health advice for menopausal women, claiming a popular supplement might not be the “answer to everything”. While he acknowledged that for some people it might help with symptoms, the scientific evidence is not conclusive.
Menopause is a natural life stage that typically affects women between the ages of 45 and 55. It happens when hormone levels in the body drop to a point where periods cease completely.
As a consequence of these hormonal shifts, the body can experience a broad range of symptoms that can impact both physical and mental health. These can include hot flushes, mood swings, and brain fog.
The main treatment recommended by the NHS for menopause symptoms is hormone replacement therapy (HRT). However, some people may also look to supplements to help.
In a video uploaded to his Instagram account, Doctor Amir Khan explained more. Dr Amir, who is best known for his appearances on ITV, said: “Can we talk about magnesium and the menopause?
“Now I know lots of you are taking magnesium supplements and they help you with many symptoms and that’s all okay. But my job is to look at the current evidence and present it to you because if you go online, you think magnesium is the answer to everything: poor sleep, anxiety, brain fog, hot flushes, stress, muscle aches, all solved with this one supplement.
“Again, if it’s helping you that’s fine, continue it. I completely understand why people are interested and take it. Menopause can affect sleep, it can affect your mood, energy, confidence and when you’re struggling, you want something that might help.”
However, he cautioned that the evidence currently isn’t “strong enough”. “But what does the science and the evidence actually say?” Dr Amir said.
“The evidence for magnesium in postmenopausal women is mixed. There’s some evidence it may modestly help with sleep quality and feelings of stress or anxiety, particularly in people who may not be getting enough magnesium through their diet.
“But the benefits tend to be small and the research isn’t yet strong enough for me to say every postmenopausal woman should be taking it. For things like hot flushes and night sweats, the evidence is much weaker when it comes to magnesium.”
He shared other important factors for staying healthy during the menopause. He continued: “And for bone health yes, magnesium is important but the bigger players are still things like resistance exercise, adequate protein, vitamin D, calcium.
“And for some women HRT is important for their bones too. Now, I think the problem is we sometimes expect supplements to do the heavy lifting when menopause is much more complicated than that and most of us get enough magnesium from food, things like nuts, seeds, and dark green leafy vegetables, and of course, my favourite, beans.
“So my take is this magnesium isn’t a miracle cure, but it’s not nonsense either. It may help some women, especially with sleep and feeling restless.”
He added: “But I always look at the bigger picture too. Sleep habits, stress, diet, alcohol, exercise, and whether you have untreated menopause symptoms, and HRT might be better for you, that’s a whole different conversation.
“But again, if your magnesium is working for you, that’s fine, this is just the evidence so far.”
The current Department of Health and Social Care advice is that you should be able to get all the magnesium you need by eating a varied and balanced diet. It also warns not to take “too much” magnesium.
However, having 400mg or less a day of magnesium from supplements is “unlikely” to cause any harm.
Research
As covered by Dr Amir, the research on magnesium and menopause symptoms is mixed. One study published in Menopause journal in 2015, which trialled the use of magnesium on 298 women found that it had no effect on hot flushes – a common symptom of the menopause.
Concluding, the study authors wrote: “The results of this trial do not support the use of magnesium oxide for hot flushes.” However, a separate study conducted on mice found that magnesium “prevented or reversed” the chronic pain and memory/emotional deficits experienced by older female mice.
In the study, which was published in the Journal of Inflammation Research in 2021, authors wrote: “Chronic oral administration of magnesium-L-threonate substantially prevented or reversed the chronic pain and memory/emotional deficits in both ovariectomized and aged female mice.”
Focusing on magnesium and anxiety – another common symptom of menopause – meta-analysis, published in Nutrients journal in 2017, found that further trials are needed to reach a strong conclusion.
Study authors wrote: “Existing evidence is suggestive of a beneficial effect of Mg on subjective anxiety in anxiety vulnerable samples. However, the quality of the existing evidence is poor. Well-designed randomised controlled trials are required to further confirm the efficacy of Mg supplementation.”
Menopause symptoms
As listed by the NHS website, “common” symptoms of perimenopause and menopause can include:
- Changes to your mood, like low mood, anxiety, mood swings and low self-esteem
- Problems with memory or concentration (brain fog)
- Hot flushes, when you have sudden feelings of hot or cold in your face, neck and chest which can make you dizzy
- Difficulty sleeping, which may be a result of night sweats and make you feel tired and irritable during the day
- Palpitations, when your heartbeats suddenly become more noticeable
- Headaches and migraines that are worse than usual
- Muscle aches and joint pains
- Changed body shape and weight gain
- Skin changes including dry and itchy skin
- Reduced sex drive
- Vaginal dryness and pain, itching or discomfort during sex
- Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Sensitive teeth, painful gums or other mouth problems
Symptoms can last for months or years. The NHS says you should see a GP or nurse if you think you have perimenopause or menopause symptoms.
