Dietary magnesium associated with reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes
A diet rich in magnesium may reduce the risk of diseases including coronary heart disease, stroke and type-2 diabetes according to a new meta-analysis published in the open access journal BMC Medicine. This analysis of the evidence on dietary magnesium and health outcomes is the largest to date, involving data from more than one million people across nine countries.
The researchers, from Zhejiang University and Zhengzhou University in China, found that people in the highest category of dietary magnesium consumption had a 10% lower risk of coronary heart disease, 12% lower risk of stroke and a 26% lower risk of type-2 diabetes compared to those in the lowest category. Their results also indicate that an extra 100 mg per day of dietary magnesium could also reduce risk of stroke by 7% and type-2 diabetes by 19%.
Dr Fudi Wang, lead author from the School of Public Health at Zhejiang University, said: “Low levels of magnesium in the body have been associated with a range of diseases but no conclusive evidence has been put forward on the link between dietary magnesium and health risks. Our meta-analysis provides the most up-to-date evidence supporting a link between the role of magnesium in food and reducing the risk of disease.”
Dr Wang added: “The current health guidelines recommend a magnesium intake of around 300 mg per day for men and 270 mg per day for women. Despite this, magnesium deficiency is relatively common, affecting between 2.5% and 15% of the general population. Our findings will be important for informing the public and policy makers on dietary guidelines to reduce magnesium deficiency related health risks.”
Magnesium is vital for human health and normal biological functions including glucose metabolism, protein production and synthesis of nucleic acids such as DNA. Diet is the main source of magnesium as the element can be found in foods such as spices, nuts, beans, cocoa, whole grains and green leafy vegetables.
In this analysis, data from 40 epidemiological studies covering a period from 1999 to 2016 were used to investigate associations between dietary magnesium and various diseases. In all the studies, levels of dietary magnesium were determined using a self-reported food frequency questionnaire or a 24-hour dietary recall. As the levels of magnesium used to define categories varied widely between the studies, the researchers performed a dose-response analysis for the effect of each 100 mg per day increase of dietary magnesium.
This meta-analysis involves observational studies meaning that it is not possible to rule out the effect of other biological or lifestyle factors influencing the results. It is also not possible to determine if magnesium is directly responsible for reducing disease risk. However, the large size of this analysis provides robust data that were stable when adjusting for gender and study location. The authors state that their findings reinforce the notion that increased consumption of magnesium rich foods could be beneficial for overall health.
Article: Dietary magnesium intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and all-cause mortality: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies, Xuexian Fang, Kai Wang, Dan Han, Xuyan He, Jiayu Wei, Lu Zhao, Mustapha Umar Imam, Zhiguang Ping, Yusheng Li, Yuming Xu, Junxia Min and Fudi Wang, BMC Medicine, doi: 10.1186/s12916-016-0742-z, published 8 December 2016.
Holiday Nutrition Packages
Package #1 includes –
1 hour nutrition consult
3 months of the “Recipe Club”
(5 standard dinner recipes emailed to you each week along with a grocery list)
and a FREE nutrition clinic of your choice
Cost – $150 (worth $200)
Package #2 includes –
1 hour nutrition consult
3 months of the “Recipe Club”
(5 standard dinner recipes emailed to you each week
along with a grocery list)
Cost – $115 (worth $165)
Package #3 includes –
3 months of the “Recipe Club”
(5 standard dinner recipes emailed to you each week
along with a grocery list)
and a FREE nutrition clinic of your choice
Cost – $75 (worth $125)
Package #4 includes –
3 months of the “Recipe Club”
(5 standard dinner recipes emailed to you each week
along with a grocery list)
Cost – $60 (worth $90)
Give the gift of “health” that will last a lifetime!
Purchase one of these packages for yourself, a family member or a friend.
To buy one of these packages – contact Cathy Bowers, RD
@757-288-2195
or cbowers@nutritionforalifetime.biz
Recent Posts
- Tips for Meal Planning on a Budget
- The 3,500 Calorie per Pound Rule Is Wrong
- Never Too Late to Start Eating Healthier
- The Actual Benefit of Diet vs. Drugs
- Why Is Meat a Risk Factor for Diabetes?
Recent Comments
- Cathy Bowers on The 3,500 Calorie per Pound Rule Is Wrong
- Jack on The 3,500 Calorie per Pound Rule Is Wrong
- Cathy Bowers on Top 5 Herbs and Spices
- Jeannine Bennett on Top 5 Herbs and Spices
- Health Benefits of Herbs on One of my “FAVORITE” snacks!
Archives
- September 2020
- January 2020
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
Categories
Meta
Recent Posts
- Tips for Meal Planning on a Budget
- The 3,500 Calorie per Pound Rule Is Wrong
- Never Too Late to Start Eating Healthier
- The Actual Benefit of Diet vs. Drugs
- Why Is Meat a Risk Factor for Diabetes?
Recent Comments
- Cathy Bowers on The 3,500 Calorie per Pound Rule Is Wrong
- Jack on The 3,500 Calorie per Pound Rule Is Wrong
- Cathy Bowers on Top 5 Herbs and Spices
- Jeannine Bennett on Top 5 Herbs and Spices
- Health Benefits of Herbs on One of my “FAVORITE” snacks!
Archives
- September 2020
- January 2020
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016