Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways the causes reversible airflow obstruction and bronchospasm resulting in numerous symptoms, including wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. Many natural compounds have been studied in regards to acute and chronic asthma management, including magnesium.
Magnesium is involved in more than 300 enzyme systems in the body and plays a central role in more than 300 cellular reactions. In regards to asthma, magnesium is thought to help by helping the smooth muscle in the bronchioles to relax improving airflow. It is also known to dilate blood vessels in the central nervous system and improve oxygen and blood flow.
How much is magnesium enough?
The question of ‘how much magnesium to take for asthma’ is a good one. Most of the studies done in regards to magnesium and asthma used IV administration of magnesium sulfate at 1-2 grams infused over 20-30 minutes. However, this translates into about 100-200 mg of elemental magnesium. Using magnesium glycinate, this would mean you would take between 100-600 mg of magnesium glycinate in divided doses throughout the day.
References
Moghissi KS. Risks and benefits of nutritional supplements during pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 1981;58:68S-78S.
Swain R, Kaplan-Machlis B. Magnesium for the next millennium. South Med J 1999;92:1040-7.
Schenk P, Vonbank K, Schnack B, et al. Intravenous magnesium sulfate for bronchial hyperreactivity: a randomized, controlled, double-blind study. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2001;69:365-71.
Ciarallo L, Brousseau D, Reinert S. Higher-dose intravenous magnesium therapy for children with moderate to severe acute asthma. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2000;154:979-83.
