Medlab Mg Optima Relax Lemon Lime 300g

Summary

• Medlab Mg Optima Relax contains evidence-based ingredients that may support the natural metabolic pathways for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production and activity, indicated to promote relaxation during times of stress.
• Albion ® Magnesium bisglycinate is scientifically designed to provide a highly bioavailable form of magnesium.
• Magnesium may act as a GABA receptor agonist and has a binding site on the glutamate receptors helping to regulate the activity of this main excitatory neurotransmitter.
• Glycine functions as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system while glutamine is a precursor to GABA production.
• Theanine is an amino acid from Green Tea that may promote relaxation via binding to glutamate receptors.
• Pyridoxal (vitamin B6) is a cofactor for the enzyme Glutamate decarboxylase that synthesises GABA from glutamate.
• Zinc also has a binding site on the glutamate receptor and may act as a modulator for both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission.

Standard Indications

• Help reduce effects of mild anxiety and nervous tension.
• Non-vitamin active ingredients in this product help relieve nervous tension, stress and mild anxiety. For the symptomatic relief of stress disorders.
• May assist in the management of stress disorders.
• Beneficial during times of stress.
• Non-vitamin active ingredients in this product may be beneficial during times of stress.
• Non-vitamin active ingredients may improve stress adaptation.
• Herbal blend which helps relieve stress of study or work.
• May help reduce the frequency of migraines.
• Helps relieve nervous tension, stress and mild anxiety.
• For the symptomatic relief of anxiety.
• May assist in the management of anxiety.
• Relief of muscular aches and pains.

Specific Indications

• Magnesium is primarily found within the cell where it acts as a counter ion for the energy-rich ATP and nuclear acids.
• Magnesium is a cofactor in more than 300 enzymatic reactions. It critically stabilises enzymes, including many ATP-generating reactions. ATP is required universally for glucose utilisation, synthesis of fat, proteins, nucleic acid and coenzymes, muscles contraction, methyl group transfer and many other processes.
• ATP metabolism, muscle contraction and relaxation, normal neurological function and release of neurotransmitters are all magnesium dependent.
• Magnesium contributes to the regulation of vascular tone, heart rhythm, proper blood coagulation and bone formation.
• Magnesium may modulate blood sugar regulation and cell proliferation in healthy individuals and is important for cell adhesion and transmembrane transport including transport of potassium and calcium ions.
• Magnesium maintains the conformation of nucleic acids and is essential for the structural function of proteins and mitochondria.
• Early signs of magnesium deficiency may include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and weakness and as magnesium deficiency worsens it may be associated with numbness, tingling, muscle contractions and cramps.
• Hypomagnesaemia is common in hospitalised patients.
• Glycine is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in caudal regions of the adult mammalian central nervous system with high densities of glycinergic synapses being found in spinal cord and brain stem.
• Glycine has important neurotransmitter functions at inhibitory and excitatory synapses in the central nervous system.
• L-theanine is one of the primary amino acids found in green tea and can pass over the blood-brain brain barrier increasing levels of concentration in the brain.
• L-theanine can affect the secretion and function of neurotransmitter in the central nervous system.
• L-theanine has an affinity to bind to the glutamate receptor subtypes. L-theanine blocks the binding of L-glutamic acid to the glutamate receptors in the brain, resulting in an anti-stress effect through inhibition of cortical neutron excitation.
• L-theanine through competitive action against excitation of glutamate receptor subtypes, neurochemical studies suggest that L-theanine affects emotions by interacting with serotonin, dopamine and GABA neurotransmitter levels.
• Dose-dependent administration of L-theanine may affect metabolism and/or the release of specific neurotransmitters in the brain.
• L-theanine induces alpha wave brain activity, which relates to a perceived state of relaxation.
• L-theanine may help to reduce anxiety levels and attenuate increased blood pressure in high-stress response adults.
• L-theanine has a positive effect on mood and cognitive performance, resulting in increased energy, clarity of thought, efficiency, increased alertness and increased perceived work performance.
• L-theanine may result in a reduction of heart rate and salivary immunoglobulin A responses during times of acute stress.
• Zinc may function as an inhibitory neuromodulator of glutamate release in the brain.
• Approximately 10% of total zinc in the brain exists in synaptic vesicles of glutamatergic neutrons.
• Zinc is likely to modulate neurotransmission mediated via excitatory and inhibitory amino acid receptors at specific synapses.
• Pyridoxal (B6) is involved in the regeneration of tetrahydrofolate into the active methyl- bearing form and in glutathione biosynthesis from homocysteine.
• L-Glutamine is an amino acid precursor to the neurotransmitter GABA, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system.

Dose

Serving Information

Add 5g (1 scoop) to 100-200mL of cold water or juice, one (1) to two (2) times per day, or as directed by your healthcare practitioner.

Ingredients

Excipients

Maltodextrin Malic acid

Lemon lime flavour

Citric acid

Stevia

Silica

Note: Botanical extracts present in this product may result in variations in colour and taste from batch to batch.

Free From

Gluten Free

Suitable for Vegetarians

No artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners

Warnings

• Vitamin supplements should not replace a balanced diet.
• If symptoms persist consult your healthcare practitioner.

Side Effects

• Magnesium supplementation is likely well tolerated for most people but may cause stomach upset, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting in some individuals.
• Caution should be used in patients with kidney problems as poorly functioning kidneys do not excrete magnesium from the body well leading to dangerous levels of serum magnesium levels.
• Vitamin B6 is toxic when ingested in mega doses i.e. greater than 200 mg per day for a prolonged period of time and may cause peripheral neuropathy.
• You can also refer to the CMI for this product for symptoms and side effects.

Interactions

• Concomitant use of magnesium and urinary excretion-reducing drugs, such as glucagons, calcitonin, and potassium-sparing diuretics, may increase serum magnesium levels, as may doxercalciferol.
• Concomitant oral intake of magnesium may influence the absorption of antibiotics (aminoglycosides, quinolone, tetracycline), bisphosphonates, calcium channel blockers and muscle relaxants.

Magnesium Bisglycinate

MAGNESIUM BISGLYCINATE

Medlab Mg Optima Relax contains evidenced-based ingredients to support the natural metabolic pathways for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production and activity, indicated to promote relaxation during times of stress. Albion Magnesium bisglycinate is scientifically designed to provide a highly bioavailable form of magnesium. Magnesium may act as a GABA receptor agonist and also has a binding site on the glutamate receptors helping to regulate the activity of this main excitatory neurotransmitter.1 Glycine functions as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system while glutamine is a precursor to GABA production.2 Theanine is an amino acid from Green Tea that promotes relaxation via binding to glutamate receptors.3 Pyridoxal (vitamin B6) is a cofactor for the enzyme Glutamate decarboxylase that synthesises GABA from glutamate.4 Zinc also has a binding site on the glutamate receptor and may act as a modulator for both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission.5

Magnesium

Magnesium is predominantly located intra-cellular in bone, muscles and non-muscular soft tissues while only 1% of total magnesium is found in serum and red blood cells. Magnesium needs to be consumed in the diet regularly to prevent the risk of magnesium deficiency and due to the increased consumption of processed foods; magnesium intake in the western world is decreasing. Magnesium is a cofactor in more than 300 enzymatic reactions, critically stabilising enzymes, including many ATP-generating reactions. ATP metabolism, muscle contraction and relaxation, normal neurological function and release of neurotransmitters are all magnesium dependent.6 While evidence generally does not support the use of magnesium for skeletal muscle cramps with many studies producing null effect7,8, there is evidence to suggest oral magnesium supplementation can improve anaerobic metabolism in athletes, decreasing lactate production9 and improving physical performance in healthy elderly women involved in an exercise program.10

Magnesium may function as a GABA receptor agonist promoting the effects of GABA. Further, in the central nervous system (CNS), magnesium ions block NMDAR channels at resting membrane potentials. The binding site for magnesium ions is deep within the channel. This block is voltage-dependent but ion flux occurs when the membrane potential is depolarized. NMDAR receptors are glutamate-binding sites, being the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS.11 See Figure 1.

Figure 1. Neurotransmitter signalling12

 Glycine

Glycine functions as one of the major inhibitory neurotransmitters in the CNS with a high density of glycine containing neurons being found in spinal cord and brain stem. When glycine binds to its receptor it opens the anion channel allowing an influx of chloride ions into the postsynaptic neuron causing hyperpolarization that raises the threshold for neuronal firing and thereby inhibits the postsynaptic neuron.2,13

Glutamine

Glutamine and glutamate are amino acids. Several studies show that concentrations of serum glutamine in the body are diminished during times of physical or psychological stress and further that patients presenting with exhaustion, anxiety, sleeplessness and lack of concentration have low serum glutamate concentration. Glutamine and glutamate synthesis occur interchangeably (see figure 2). Glutamine converts to glutamate using NADPH as a cofactor and glutamate is a precursor for GABA production using vitamin B6 as a cofactor.15-19

Figure 2. GABA is synthesized from Glutamine and Glutamate20

L-Theanine

Theanine is a novel plant-based amino acid found in tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves. Theanine is an analog of glutamic acid and is able to bind to glutamate receptor subtypes (AMPA, kainite and NMDA receptors) and block the binding of glutamate to the receptors, albeit with less affinity for the receptor than glutamate.21 Studies have shown that L-Theanine is useful in the treatment of anxiety due to its ability to regulate neurotransmitter function in the CNS as well as improving the quality of sleep. L-Theanine supplementation in the standard dosages (50-250mg) has been shown to increase α-brainwaves in otherwise healthy persons, which is indicative of a perceived state of relaxation. This may only occur in persons with higher baseline anxiety or under periods of stress, but has been shown to occur during closed eye rest as well as during visuospatial tasks around 30 minutes after ingestion.22-26 See Figure 1.

When administered orally, L-Theanine peaks in serum within an hour and appears in the urine after 5 hours. Theanine reaches maximum concentration in the brain within 5 hours and gradually disappears within 24 hours. It freely crosses the blood-brain barrier and appears in the brain within an hour after ingestion.27 A recent study demonstrated that L-Theanine could cause anti-stress activity via inhibition of cortical neuron excitation. The results showed that L-Theanine intake resulted in a reduction in the heart rate (HR) and salivary immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) responses to an acute stress task relative to the placebo control group that the authors attributed to an attenuation of sympathetic nervous activation.3

Pyridoxal 5-Phosphate (Vitamin B6)

Pyridoxine is the cofactor required by Glutamate decarboxylase to convert glutamate to GABA in the CNS.4 See Figure 2.

Zinc

Approximately 10% of total zinc in the brain is located in synaptic vesicles of certain glutamatergic neurons.5 Zinc may modulate neurotransmission mediated via both excitatory and inhibitory amino acid receptors at specific synapses for example the NMDA glutamate receptor is directly inhibited by zinc whereas GABA release from the presynapse can be potentiated (see Figure 1).28

Clinical Summary:

• To naturally increase GABA production to induce relaxation
• Helps relieve symptoms of nervous tension, stress and mild anxiety
• For the symptomatic relief of stress disorders.
• Herbal blend which helps relieve stress of study or work
• May help reduce the frequency of migraines.
• L-Theanine has a positive effect on mood and cognitive performance, resulting in increased energy, clarity of thought, efficiency, increased alertness and increased perceived work performance.

Who will benefit:

• Those with symptoms of anxiety and nervous tension
• Those who are experiencing mild stress and associated disorders
• Those who are experiencing stress associated with work and/or study
• Those with magnesium deficiency
• Those who are experiencing frequent migraines
• Those who wish to improve their cognitive performance and mood.

References:

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3. Kimura K1, Ozeki M, Juneja LR, et al. L-Theanine reduces psychological and physiological stress responses. Biol Psychol 2007;74(1):39-45
4. Qu K, Martin DL, Lawrence C. Motifs and structural fold of the cofactor binding site of human glutamate decarboxylase. Protein Sci 1998;7:1092-1105.
5. Takeda A, Minami A, Seki Y, et al. Differential effects of zinc on glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmitter systems in the hippocampus. J Neurosci Res 2004; 15;75(2):225-9.
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