Skip to the main content
Open WellbeingWhat the studies actually measured

Joints, muscles and pain

Magnesiumand Migraine frequency

Both sources here measured lower migraine frequency.

How sure anyone can be

Moderate certainty, level 3 of 4

Further research may change this.

The most certain of the two findings here; each record carries its own.

The numbers reported

-2.51
number of migraine attacks, mean difference versus control (the abstract does not state the counting period)
0.2 odds ratio
odds ratio for migraine frequency, oral magnesium vs control

None of these sources gave a likely range — the band the real answer probably sits in — so how precise these numbers are is still an open question here.

Two sources, newest first

What we read is the published abstract, not the full paper, so a blank below may still be printed in the paper itself. A fixed rule worked this out from the source’s own fields. Nobody checked this rating by hand.

  • Systematic review, 2025

    Moderate certainty, level 3 of 4

    Effects of selected dietary supplements on migraine prophylaxis: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

    Neurol Sci. 2025;46(2):651-670. doi:10.1007/s10072-024-07794-0. PMID:39404918.

    Number reported
    -2.51
    Which way it went
    Lower
    Likely range
    Not in the abstract
    Source’s own words
    number of migraine attacks, mean difference versus control (the abstract does not state the counting period)
    Who was studied
    Adult with migraine
    Compared with
    control group
    Amount taken
    Not in the abstract
    For how long
    Not in the abstract
    Disagreement between studies
    Not in the abstract
    Kind of record
    Journal article
    How this rating was reachedstarts at High, one step down: imprecision
    1. Starts at High
    2. Imprecision brought it down to Moderatethe abstract reports no confidence interval for the estimateNot in the abstract
    3. Ends at ModerateOne step down.
    Checked, nothing to step it down for
    risk of bias and indirectness
    Inconsistency
    No disagreement reported, and no count of studies behind it

    Imprecision stops at the first check that applies; others may apply too.

    AI-reviewed & signed — an AI agent re-read this finding against the saved source and checked that the quote, the numbers, the units and the direction match it. No person read it. The owner authorised the agent to sign the batch with the owner's key, and every build rechecks that signature against these exact bytes.

    Read the abstract on PubMed

  • Systematic review, 2016 · 10 studies pooled · 789 participants

    Low certainty, level 2 of 4

    Effects of Intravenous and Oral Magnesium on Reducing Migraine: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

    Pain Physician. 2016;19(1):E97-112. PMID:26752497.

    Number reported
    0.2 odds ratio
    Which way it went
    Lower
    Likely range
    Not in the abstract
    Source’s own words
    odds ratio for migraine frequency, oral magnesium vs control
    Who was studied
    Adult with migraine
    Compared with
    control group (the abstract says only 'compared with a control group'; it does not state placebo vs no treatment)
    Amount taken
    Not in the abstract
    For how long
    Not in the abstract
    Disagreement between studies
    Not in the abstract
    Kind of record
    Journal article
    How this rating was reachedstarts at High, 2 steps down: risk of bias and imprecision
    1. Starts at High
    2. Risk of bias brought it down to Moderatethe abstract reports no risk-of-bias or quality appraisal, so study limitations cannot be ruled outNot in the abstract
    3. Imprecision brought it down to Lowthe abstract reports no confidence interval for the estimateNot in the abstract
    4. Ends at Low2 steps down.
    Checked, nothing to step it down for
    indirectness
    Inconsistency
    No high disagreement reported between the 10 studies it pooled

    Imprecision stops at the first check that applies; others may apply too.

    AI-reviewed & signed — an AI agent re-read this finding against the saved source and checked that the quote, the numbers, the units and the direction match it. No person read it. The owner authorised the agent to sign the batch with the owner's key, and every build rechecks that signature against these exact bytes.

    Read the abstract on PubMed

What is still missing from these readings

  • Two give no likely range, so how precise those numbers are is unknown.
  • One do not say how many people took part.
  • Amount taken — Not in the abstract.
  • For how long — Not in the abstract.

Something nobody wrote down is never a zero and never a guess.

Still to read for Magnesium

11 of the 21 things on our list for Magnesium have no reading here yet:

  • Atrial fibrillation incidence
  • Bone mineral density
  • Cognitive performance
  • Depression
  • Fasting insulin
  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)
  • Hemoglobin A1c
  • Insomnia Severity Index
  • Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
  • Sleep efficiency
  • Total testosterone

Still to read means nobody here has got to it, not that it was tried and did nothing or that no research exists. A pairing on no list is not a gap: we never set out to read it.

Read next

This is a library, not advice. No recommendation, no dose, no diagnosis, no ranking. We never ask about your symptoms, and nothing here is tailored to you.