Magnesium and malic acid for fibromyalgia pain and depression
What it found
In people with fibromyalgia, taking magnesium and malic acid made little or no difference to pain or depressive symptoms.
The authors looked at 11 studies, but only one was a randomised trial.
What they found
Studies in people
Pain
Taking magnesium and malic acid made little or no difference to pain in people with fibromyalgia.
Depressive symptoms
Taking magnesium and malic acid made little or no difference to depressive symptoms in people with fibromyalgia.
Other findings
Studies included
The authors found seven systematic reviews covering 11 primary studies. Only one of those was a randomised trial.
What the authors conclude
“Our conclusion is that the use of magnesium and malic acid in patients with fibromyalgia makes little or no difference on pain and on depressive symptoms.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that the use of magnesium and malic acid in patients with fibromyalgia makes little or no difference on pain and on depressive symptoms.
How it was done
Fibromyalgia causes pain, fatigue, insomnia, morning stiffness, depression and reduced daily functioning. The authors note that a lack of minerals such as magnesium has been suggested to play a role in the condition and its symptoms.
They searched Epistemonikos, a large database of systematic reviews, and found seven reviews covering 11 primary studies. Only one of those studies was a randomised trial. They pulled data from the reviews, reanalysed the original studies, ran a meta-analysis and made a summary of findings table using the GRADE approach.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- Most of the evidence comes from studies that were not randomised trials, so it cannot show cause and effect.
- The authors do not report how long people took the supplement or what doses were used.
The paper
- Title
- Magnesium and malic acid supplement for fibromyalgia
- Type
- Meta-analysis
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Ferreira I, Ortigoza Á, Moore P (2019). Magnesium and malic acid supplement for fibromyalgia. Medwave. doi:10.5867/medwave.2019.04.7632PubMed 31150373DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error