Trace Minerals and Neurocognitive Optimization

Key takeaways:
~ Trace minerals, including copper, iron, lithium, magnesium, manganese, and zinc, can influence mood and cognitive function.
~ Genetic variants can interact with your need for these minerals, increasing or decreasing the amount you need.
~ Understanding your genetic variants is just one part of the picture, but it can be a starting point for knowing what to test or what to try first.

Trace Minerals affect Mood, Focus, and Cognitive Function

Minerals, known as trace elements or micronutrients, play an essential role in brain development as well as neurotransmitter levels and cognitive function in adults.

The idea of looking at your genes and knowing that you need more of a certain mineral to optimize mood is tantalizing. The reality, though, is that genetic variants may be more of a fine-tuning or just part of the picture. Often, understanding your genes can give you a starting point, but you may find that you need to experiment with diet and/or supplements to see what works for you.

How to use this information:
The goal of this article is not to give a protocol or prescription. Instead, you’ll take away an understanding of the research and genetic connections, and then you can experiment to figure out what is optimal for you.

Keep in mind that you may not need to take a supplement forever. You may find that once you’ve restored your levels, you don’t need it as often – or that dialing in your dietary intake may be sufficient.

Talk with your doctor if you have any medical questions before starting any supplements, including mineral supplements.

Testing your mineral levels:
To know your serum levels of minerals, a blood test is needed. You can ask your doctor to order it for you, or in most states in the US, you can order your own lab tests from multiple online sources.

Genetic variants in genes related to mineral absorption or transport can help you know what to test or try first.

Let’s dive into the research on magnesium, copper, zinc, lithium, manganese, and iron – along with the genetic connections to neurocognitive function.

Magnesium: Depression, ADHD, Cognitive Function

Studies link magnesium supplementation to improving different neurocognitive and psychological conditions, and you may see online headlines claiming that magnesium can cure depression, ADHD, etc.  However, magnesium is unlikely to be a panacea for everyone.

Genetic variants can point to whether you are more likely to be deficient in magnesium, especially if your diet is borderline to low in this mineral. The only way to know your levels for sure is to get a blood test done, but adding in more magnesium-rich foods or a low-dose supplemental magnesium is a low-cost intervention with few drawbacks.

Clinical trials on magnesium and cognitive disorders:

Depression:
Multiple studies show that magnesium may help reduce depression.[ref] Here’s a sample:

• In patients who had been hospitalized for Covid, magnesium supplementation (300 mg/day) reduced depression scores and enhanced quality of life.[ref]
• Another clinical trial looked at the effect of magnesium alone or magnesium plus B6 and showed that both treatments significantly improved depression and anxiety scores during the first four weeks.[ref]
• A systematic review of seven clinical trials showed that magnesium reduced depression scores on average for adults.[ref]

ADHD and emotional conduct:
A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial looked at the effect of magnesium (6mg/kg/day) plus vitamin D in children with ADHD. The results showed that 8 weeks of supplementation significantly reduced emotional and conduct problems compared to placebo.[ref]

Magnesium L-threonate and adult ADHD:
A clinical trial in adults with ADHD found that half of the participants had an improvement in symptoms with 12 weeks of supplemental magnesium l-threonate.[ref]

Magnesium orotate plus probiotics and CoQ10 for depression:
A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial looked at the effect of magnesium plus probiotics (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) with CoQ10 on major depressive disorder. The study found that the combination was more effective than a placebo for reducing depressive disorder symptoms.[ref]

Cognitive function in aging:
A number of studies show that low magnesium is linked to neurodegeneration and cognitive dysfunction in aging. More is not always better, though. Studies point to a U-shaped curve, with hypermagnesmia (excessively high magnesium) also increasing the risk of cognitive decline.[ref]

Proton pump inhibitor (PPIs), magnesium, depression, and genetics:
PPIs are commonly prescribed for GERD or heartburn, but they can cause decreased magnesium absorption, especially when combined with a TRPM6 gene variant (below). Studies show that PPIs increase the relative risk of depression, with higher doses linked to a 2-fold increase in risk.[ref][ref]

RDA and dietary sources of magnesium:

The US RDA for magnesium is 420 mg/day for adult males and 320 mg/day for women. Good dietary sources of magnesium include pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, almonds, spinach, cashews, peanuts, and black beans. [ref]

What happens with too much magnesium? Well, an excess of magnesium is what is used to prep for a colonoscopy… You get the picture.

Conclusion:

Genetic variants make us all unique, including our need for individual micronutrients. Dialing in your micronutrient intake may help give you the baseline you need for optimal neurocognitive function.

Keep in mind that your need for different nutrients can fluctuate depending on stress, environmental exposure, and lifestyle factors. You may find a supplemental micronutrient very effective at certain times, but it may not be something that you need to take long-term.  If you are going to supplement with a mineral for a long period of time, talk with your doctor about how often you should test your levels to make sure you’re in the right range. If you are looking for professional help with testing and optimizing, check out the Genetic Lifehacks PRO members directory.

Related articles:

Glutamate Receptors and Transporters

MAO-A and MAO-B: Neurotransmitter levels, genetics, and warrior gene studies

Dopamine Receptor SNPs: Addiction, Mood, ADHD, and Schizophrenia

References: