Researchers report that"there is more than sufficient evidence to implicate inadequate dietary magnesium as the main cause of TRD [treatment-resistant depression]. Since inadequate brain magnesium appears to reduce serotonin levels, and since antidepressants have been shown to have the action of raising brain magnesium, we further hypothesise that magnesium treatment will be beneficial for nearly all depressives, not only TRD."
A 2008 randomised clinical trial supports the use of magnesium in depression, with results showing it to be as effective as the tricyclic antidepressant Imipramine in treating depression in magnesium-deficient diabetics, without any of the side effects of Imipramine. Magnesium is low in processed foods, potentially harming the brain, while calcium, glutamate and aspartate - all common food additives - may worsen affective disorders.
Source: Eby GA 3rd, Eby KL. Magnesium for treatment-resistant depression: a review and hypothesis. Med Hypotheses 2010 Apr 2010;74(4):649-660.
