Liposomal Magnesium Is Better Absorbed than Standard Magnesium in New Study

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Results from a new study¹ published in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences indicate that a proprietary magnesium ingredient, Sucrosomial, created by Alesco S.r.l. (Pisa, Italy) and distributed by Maypro Group (Purchase, NY), may improve intestinal absorption of magnesium. Administration of Sucrosomial, a magnesium oxide ingredient protected by a liposomal-like structure, resulted in faster magnesium absorption at higher rates compared with a standard formulation of magnesium oxide.

Magnesium is a mineral associated with a variety of health benefits. The study authors write that magnesium plays a crucial role in many biological reactions and physiological pathways; for example, energy production, protein synthesis, and cell signaling. Low magnesium levels in the body, however, are linked with a host of potential negative health outcomes, including diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, osteoarthritis, depression, and more. One of the most effective ways to help prevent these negative outcomes, they add, is to consume additional magnesium via supplementation. They note, however, that conventional oral magnesium supplementation exhibits poor bioavailability and absorption, potentially due to “interference of dietary compounds or digestive factors.” In this study, the researchers sought to examine whether the Sucrosomial magnesium ingredient exhibited improved bioavailability.

The study consisted of two arms: an ex vivo permeation study in a rat model, and a human study in healthy subjects comparing magnesium bioavailability after administration of Sucrosomial magnesium or commercially available preparations of magnesium citrate, magnesium oxide, and magnesium bisglycinate.

In the ex vivo study, researchers treated rats’ intestinal tissues with standard magnesium oxide or Sucrosomial magnesium, testing two dosages of each ingredient: 32.9 mg/ml or 329 mg/ml. The rats given Sucrosomial magnesium exhibited enhanced absorption of the magnesium compared with the rats given standard magnesium oxide. This was the case in both the 32.9-mg/ml and 329-mg/ml magnesium tests.

In the human double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical study, researchers administered 350 mg of Sucrosomial magnesium, magnesium citrate, magnesium oxide, or magnesium bisglycinate to 10 healthy subjects. The single-day study was conducted between December 2016 and March 2017, and included trial days separated by one-week washout periods. Over the course of the study, subjects were switched from one experimental to another experimental treatment on a double-blind basis, and all magnesium formulations were identical.

On the first trial day, after an overnight fasting blood sample collection, subjects consumed the magnesium dose assigned for that day. Researchers again took subjects’ blood samples, as well as urine samples, to determine baseline magnesium concentrations. Participants ate breakfast and were instructed not to eat any magnesium-rich foods, drinks, or supplements for each meal during the trial day. Throughout the study, participants kept track of food intake using a food diary. Researchers recorded magnesium content in three ways: analyzing blood, red blood cells, and urines. They also measured magnesium absorption and relative concentrations of magnesium at baseline, and then again at two, four, eight, and 24 hours during each day of supplementation.

After analyzing subjects’ blood and urine samples for magnesium concentrations, the researchers found that all magnesium formulations significantly increased the concentration of magnesium in the subjects’ bodies, but they noted that the group given Sucrosomial magnesium exhibited even greater concentrations of magnesium. Sucrosomial magnesium also resulted in increased bioavailability compared with the other magnesium formulations, reaching a “statistically significant advantage” over magnesium oxide, in particular, in subjects’ blood and red blood cells. In the participants’ urine samples, Sucrosomial magnesium was shown to be superior to magnesium bisglycinate.

In a press release from Maypro, the company said the study results indicate that Sucrosomial magnesium may be effective in increasing magnesium absorption compared with other commercially available magnesium supplementations. Dan Lifton, president, proprietary branded ingredients group, Maypro, added that the study results further the company’s mission of supplying “highly efficacious ingredients.” He stated: “With this mission in mind, we must partner with manufacturers who have integrity, such as Alesco, who also greatly value clinical research and technology that ensures optimal bioavailability of ingredients.”  Alesco first developed its line of Sucrosomial minerals, which are formulated using its unique Sucrosomial technology, in 2012.

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References:

1. Brilli E et al., “Magnesium bioavailability after administration of Sucrosomial magnesium: Results of an ex-vivo study and a comparative, double-blinded, cross-over study in healthy subjects,” European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, vol. 22, no. 6 (2018): 1843-1851