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In the News, Summer 2023: Eating More Magnesium Can Protect Brain Health
Researchers from the Australian National University found that increasing the amount of magnesium in our daily diet may boost brain health as we age and potentially reduce risk of dementia. Their recent study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, showed that people who consumed more than 550 mg of dietary magnesium each day had a brain age that was approximately one year younger by the time they reached 55, compared with people with a “normal” magnesium intake of about 350 mg.
The study included over 6,000 cognitively healthy participants, aged 40 to 73, whose magnesium intake was assessed using a 24-hour food recall questionnaire five times over a 16-month period. The researchers focused on magnesium-rich foods, such as leafy green vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Neuroimaging was used to measure brain volume and white matter lesions. Findings indicated that higher dietary magnesium is associated with larger brain volume and lower white matter lesions, and these effects are applicable to a general population, although they are more evident in women.
Lead author and PhD researcher Khawlah Alateeq noted: “Our study shows a 41 percent increase in magnesium intake could lead to less age-related brain shrinkage, which is associated with better cognitive function and lower risk or delayed onset of dementia in later life.”
Sources: Eating more magnesium each day keeps dementia at bay. Australian National University, March 24, 2023. anu.edu.au/news/all-news/eating-more-magnesium-each-day-keeps-dementia-at-bay.
Alateeq K, Walsh EI, Cherbuin N. Dietary magnesium intake is related to larger brain volumes and lower white matter lesions with notable sex differences. European Journal of Nutrition, 2023; doi:10.1007/s00394-023-03123-x.
Published in the Journal of Health and Healing™
Summer 2023 | Volume 47, Number 2
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