Since previous studies have linked insufficient magnesium levels to a greater risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and cardiovascular disease, author Dr. Xuexian Fang, a nutrition researcher at Zhengzhou University in China, and his team set out to prove that a diet rich in magnesium could help lower the risk of chronic health problems like heart disease and diabetes.

Magnesium, found in leafy greens, fish, nuts and whole grains, plays an important role in maintaining human health- we just aren’t sure how. It is possible that it helps curb inflammation, which in turn may lower the odds of developing a variety of chronic diseases, but more study is needed.

So, Dr. Fang and his colleagues got to work analyzing data on dietary magnesium and chronic disease from 40 studies published from 1999 to 2016 on more than one million people across nine countries.

From the article:

“Compared with people who had the lowest levels of magnesium in their diets, people who got the most magnesium were 10 percent less likely to develop heart disease, 12 percent less likely to have a stroke and 26 percent less likely to develop diabetes.

Combined, the studies in the analysis included 7,678 cases of cardiovascular disease, 6,845 cases of coronary heart disease, 701 cases of heart failure, 4,755 cases of stroke, 26,299 cases of type 2 diabetes and 10,983 deaths.”

(Keep in mind, the analysis was based on observational studies and therefore can’t prove  that magnesium directly prevents disease. In addition, the studies in the analysis relied on participants to accurately recall and report what foods they consumed and may not have accurately reflected their true amount of dietary magnesium. So, more studies are needed.)

When the team looked at the effect of increasing dietary magnesium by 100 milligrams a day, there was no “statically meaningful impact” on the total risk of cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease. However, they did find that the increase was tied to a 22 percent reduction in the risk of heart failure, and a 7 percent decrease in the risk of stroke.

In fact, increasing magnesium intake was also associated with a 19 percent reduction in the risk of diabetes and a 10 percent drop in the odds of death from all causes during the study period.

Again, more study is needed.

My better half is a huge proponent of healthy magnesium intake and has been for years. The next time you visit your doctor ask them to check your levels. And in the meantime, feel free to load up on magnesium-rich foods.

 

 

Source: Reuters