Gadot Biochemicals, an ingredient supplier specializing in mineral citrates, announced that it is now in the process of expanding its capacity of magnesium citrate ingredient applications, with new products which will have a focus on the calmative effect and sleep benefits offered by the essential mineral.
 
This comes following Gadot’s recent launches of a chewable zinc citrate product and Gado-Go, a ready-to-use magnesium stick powder for branded powder packs in the sports nutrition market.
 
“We’re looking at expanding magnesium citrate applications with an emphasis on magnesium’s calming effect,” Ohad Cohen, CEO of Gadot Biochemicals, said. Cohen said that magnesium is known as a calming mineral during times of stress.
 
“Many popular magnesium retail supplement products contain magnesium citrate because it offers calming properties and it is also known to promote mental and muscle relaxation,” Cohen continued. “This is an attractive benefit for stressed individuals who feel tense during the night as magnesium citrate has been proven to reduce nighttime muscle cramping.”
 
According to Michael A. Smith, MD, director of education for the Fort-Lauderdale-based company Life Extension, a few published studies concluded that magnesium potentially effects sleep and relaxation through a biomechanism in which it modulates the neurotransmitter GABA. Magnesium is also needed for the synthesis of melatonin.
 
“Magnesium citrate also offers valuable attributes over other forms,” Cohen continued. “Its absorption is independent of gastric acid secretion, so it does not cause stomach upset and can easily be taken on an empty stomach. Furthermore, when compared to magnesium lactate, magnesium carbonate, and magnesium oxide, the citrate form provides a neutral taste making it more palatable and easier to work with in a variety of formulations. High and sufficient absorption of any nutrient, but specifically a mineral, is absolutely critical and magnesium citrate has excellent absorbability and uptake. If magnesium is not absorbed, it is not utilized and its benefit is not realized. Additionally, and this is key when it comes to formulating with any mineral, magnesium citrate has no metal taste – it is virtually indistinguishable in the palate.”
 
Gadot said that scientific literature has shown that magnesium affects energy, movement, and mobility, as well as brain function and mood, and a deficiency in magnesium can be detrimental in these areas. Further, Gadot links magnesium deficiency to the rise in consumption of processed foods and the depletion of nutrients in topsoil due to large-scale farming operations.