I do not place much importance on in vitro studies. Yes, they are interesting, but a glass petri dish is a poor model for an actual human intestine. Frequently, human biology is counter-intuitive.

How quickly do your sinus symptoms return? If it is within a few hours then this would indicate some sort of allergy. If the magnesium is stimulating yeast growth then I expect it would take a little while (1-3 days?) before you would notice any symptoms.

Yes, zinc attracted my attention in this report too. I tried it in 3 very short trials (total 10 days). On each occasion it produced same day negative effect on my mood, including irritability and brain fog. It is quite possible that these were die-off symptoms.

Thanks hveragerthi. Do you have any links to studies that show magnesium inhibiting candida growth? I can't find any.

It seems to me desirable to not only restrict candida growth in the intestines, but also to inhibit morphogenesis from its benign yeast form to its pathogenic mucosally invasive hyphal (filamental) or fungal form. As most here would be aware, candida is a naturally occuring yeast in our intestines. It is only when it grows exponentially in its hyphal/mycelial/fungal mode that it becomes pathogenic, invades the intestinal mucosa and does all the damage.

Think of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Dr Jekyll wouldn't hurt a fly, but if he drinks the right nutrients he turns into the destructive Mr Hyde. A Candida albicans cell is normally like Dr Jekyll, minding its own business, until the right conditions and nutrients are available, then it not only turns into nasty Mr Hyphal, but also starts multiplying at an exponential rate, so you have billions of Mr Hyphals ripping into your poor intestinal linings, punching holes for foreign objects to pass through and cause allergies.

There are quite a number of factors that cause Candida albicans to produce germ tubes (early hyphal growth produced by germinating fungal spores) and thereby begin the process of turning pathogenic. From the research I have seen, magnesium seems to have a significant role to play in this.

This study has candida developing germ tubes (turning hyphal) and growing exponentially in the presence of magnesium. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2037228


This study demonstrated that extra magnesium was required for germ tube formation (hyphal growth).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6432954?dopt=Abstract


In this abstract, George Eby, a prominant proponent of magnesium supplementation, states that "strong ionic magnesium solutions greatly increase .. Candida albicans in vitro, and appear to worsen these infections in humans"
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16797866


My personal experience taking magnesium citrate produced typical exponential candida growth symptoms (see original post).

I have posted this research on various candida discussion groups and have been met with silence, dismissal, denial and ridicule. But no-one has produced any scientific evidence to refute it. Seeems like a flat earth reaction to me. People have gotten so used to reading that candida sufferers are low in magnesium that oral magnesium supplementation has simply been accepted as a logical therapeutic strategy, apparently without any scientific evidence to support it (at least that I am aware of).

But if magnesium supplementation is actually making the candida overgrowth worse, why would one take it?