I recently ran into a article that talks about the wonder of Magnesium how it can improve memory for those that have Dementia. My Momma does not have Dementia yet but however she does have MCI. Has any of you ever tried using a Magnesium supplement and it worked on their loved one? I have Magnesium tabs here, I take them, but before I give my Momma any of them I am curious if any of you ever tried this and it worked.
To determine whether or not she is deficient in magnesium, you can ask for a blood analysis. Other factors to think about would include whether she is taking any medication, such as a PPI, or suffers from any condition that might interfere with digestion or absorption and prevent her from taking up adequate magnesium from her diet.
As a rule of thumb, I'd add that any article that talks about the wonders of anything, pretty much, is likely to be excitable baloney. It's dull but true that a well-balanced, varied diet will ensure that she has all of the vitamins and trace elements that her body needs. As long as she's not sensitive or allergic to them, and she doesn't dislike the flavour, nuts are a useful addition for all sorts of the rarer trace elements - if you're worried about choke risk, you can always grind them up fine and mix them into soups, cakes, or anything else she's fond of.
Sigh. Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were just one simple, easy answer? On a cheerier note, it genuinely is quite well established that dark chocolate is good for brain maintenance :) This is not an excuse for scoffing Hershey bars, alas. One teaspoonful of cocoa added to hot milk, and easy on the sugar; or one square of good quality plain dark chocolate - look for 70% minimum cocoa solids on the label; and that's your daily allowance. Only two cheers, then...
There are some risks involved in taking magnesium, so I would talk to Momma's doctor before starting her on it. In reasonable doses it is generally considered safe, and it might be worth a try while awaiting the study results, but as I say, I would talk to the doctor first.
The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation has information about this on their website.