I was working on a statistic problem about a trial where researchers tested magnesium on individuals with chronic fatigue to see if it would help. I wasn't sure if it was hypothetical or based on a real experiment, so I'm wondering if there's any evidence that magnesium intake can alleviate, treat, or lessen chronic fatigue? More detail on magnesium would be great.
1 Answer
There is at least one study on this, published in The Lancet:
Red blood cell magnesium and chronic fatigue syndrome
Patients treated with magnesium claimed to have improved energy levels, better emotional state, and less pain, as judged by changes in the Nottingham health profile.
This was a trial on only 20 patients with CSF and 20 control patients. That size of course isn't large enough to draw any reliable conclusions.
I also found a study comparing magnesium levels in patients with CSF with healthy controls that found no difference in magnesium levels.
The University of Maryland Medical Center summarizes:
Magnesium (300 to 1,000 mg per day) may help reduce fatigue. But studies show mixed results.