Magnesium citrate (E345) is the magnesium salt of citric acid.
Chemical formula C6H6O7Mg.
A medicinal product, a source of magnesium, one of the most important intracellular macronutrients in the body.
White powder, odorless, slightly acidic taste. Slowly soluble in cold water, well soluble in hot water. The resulting solution is transparent and has a taste of citric acid.
In foreign medicine, magnesium citrate is effectively used as a laxative to clean the intestines before surgery or colonoscopy. This technique eliminates the need to perform a cleansing enema. But given the fact that Mg2+ is responsible for many other functions in the body, magnesium citrate has a broader spectrum of pharmacological activities (analgesic, sedative, hypnotic, anti-stress, anticonvulsant, antiarrhythmic, protivostoianie, choleretic, etc.). From magnesium, which is called the principal metal of life in the body depend on more than three hundred different enzymes, and therefore, its deficiency is an important pathogenic factor in the development of certain diseases.
Magnesium citrate is the most convenient form of magnesium for the body to absorb, since citrates are the best conductor to the cell. The content of pure (elementary) Mg2+ in the composition of magnesium citrate reaches approximately 11%.
In the food industry, it is used as a food additive E345 as an acidity regulator, giving the taste and aroma characteristic of lemon and lime. In some products, food dyes may be added to it. When preparing for a colonoscopy, only a clear drink is used, since dyes can lead to errors in observation.