A newly developed magnesium supplement may help boost memory.

Late last year I predicted that 2010 would be magnesium’s year.  And with the latest study on magnesium, my prediction is bearing fruit.

True, magnesium hasn’t dominated the health headlines this year like, say, vitamin D has in terms of frequency.  But in terms of import, magnesium’s time to shine is now, as a recent study suggests that this magnificent mineral helps buoy one’s memory.

Researchers from Israel’s Tel Aviv University recognized magnesium’s magnificence after supplementing two groups of rats with the same food regimen, but tinkered with one of the rat groupings by adding a new-fangled magnesium supplement that purports to better penetrate the brain than contemporary magnesium supplements.

Through brain scans and cognitive tests, researchers found that, indeed, the magnesium-supplemented group outperformed the other group both in cognitive function and brain development.

In a statement, the researchers said they were “pleased” by the findings, but they couldn’t help but be somewhat disconcerted by the findings at the same time.

Apparently when they used over the counter magnesium supplements, there was no measurable difference in cognition between the two groups.

Translation:  According to the researchers, magnesium supplements on the market today don’t help with brain function.

Now, this study should not suggest that magnesium supplements on the market don’t work period, only that they don’t seem to be effective for brain health and development.  Researchers are confident, however, that when the new and improved magnesium supplement becomes commercially available—magnesium-L-theronate, or MgT— it will help make memories magnificent.

In the meantime, increase your magnesium intake by supplementing with – you guessed it – magnesium-rich foods.

Some of the richest magnesium sources come from seeds (like pumpkin seeds), leafy greens (like spinach) and beans (like black beans).  A quarter cup of pumpkin seeds has 184 milligrams of magnesium, a cup of boiled spinach has 156 milligrams and a cup of black beans has 120 milligrams.

Not to be outdone as a solid source for magnesium is salmon.  A four-ounce serving of salmon has 138 milligrams of magnesium.  Other significant sources for magnesium in the seafaring family include halibut (4 oz.=121 mg), scallops (4 oz.=77 mg), tuna (4 oz.=72 mg) and shrimp (4 oz.=38 mg).

Adult men should be getting at least 420 milligrams of magnesium per day, while women should get about 320 milligrams per day.

Sources:
whfoods.com
newsmaxhealth.com

Does new heart health research suggest magnesium isn't as important for women's health overall?

With the year of 2009 coming to a close and 2010 on the horizon, you may be wondering what the latest and greatest supplement will be come January 1.  Answer?  Magnesium.

Now, if you’re even the least bit familiar with nutrition, you know that magnesium is nothing new.  It’s been existing from time immemorial.  And besides having the atomic number 12 on the periodic table and being the eighth most abundant element in the earth’s crust, it’s an abundant element in the human body.  But unlike the earth’s crust, where it’s naturally found, magnesium is not found naturally in the body.  In other words, the only way the body gets its “magnificent magnesium” is through the food we eat and the supplements we take.

For this and other reasons, The Freedonia Group estimates that magnesium will be the top-seller in supplement sales next year (a 6.4 percent increase over last year, bringing the global supplement sales tally to $12.6 billion).

As documented here, magnesium is great for the heart.  A phalanx of studies has found magnesium helps diminish the risk of various forms of heart disease, high blood pressure, and heart attack.

But a recent study from Brigham Young University suggests magnesium may be more heart effective for men than it is for women.

The Provo, Utah based researchers reviewed six studies that analyzed magnesium’s effect on heart health for both sexes.  And while they did indeed find evidence suggesting magnesium’s magnificence for men when it comes to preventing coronary heart disease, the evidence wasn’t as convincing for women.

Writing matter-of-factly in the Journal of the American Academy of Researchers, the researchers report “there was no noted decrease in the development of CHD in women who had high magnesium intake.”

Now, this may suggest that women simply don’t need magnesium as much as men do.  But as the researchers themselves note, magnesium plays multiple roles in the human body, not the least of which is the role it plays in buoying the strength of bone structure, relaxing nerves and muscles, and decreasing the risk and/or development of over two dozen conditions.  One of the conditions magnesium helps prevent that is exclusive to women is called pre-eclampsia.

Pre-eclampsia is diagnosed in pregnant women when their blood pressure is elevated for at least 20 weeks.  Of course, high blood pressure is serious for any person young or old, male or female, but it’s particularly dangerous for pregnant women, as it can affect the development (and life) of her baby.

Translation:  While magnesium is more important for men, it remains a super supplement for women.  Men are recommended to get at least 420 milligrams of magnesium every day, while recommendations for women are 320 milligrams.

So with the coming of the New Year, ladies, jump aboard the magnesium bandwagon and make 2010 the Year of the Smoothie (i.e., the nickname for magnesium as it naturally “soothes” the muscles).

Sources:
webelements.com
mayoclinic.com
whfoods.com
nutraingredients.com

Spinach is a rich source of heart-healthy magnesium.

If you’re familiar with my latest book, The Blood Pressure Miracle, then you know about a triumvirate of minerals that are highly beneficial to maintaining a healthy blood pressure: potassium, calcium and magnesium.

Well a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology backs up my claims, as its results indicate that low magnesium levels heighten the risk of stroke.

Now, to me, this isn’t a big surprise, as my book is packed with information supported by scientific studies.  But there are still a number of people out there too stubborn to believe that natural health is bupkus, that the only real way to turn one’s health around is through prescription drugs.  Here’s just one example of why they’re wrong.

Before I get into the details of the study, you may be wondering how blood pressure is tied with stroke.  Well, to make it as simple as possible, when someone has high blood pressure, blood is not flowing to and from the heart (and throughout the body) as it normally should due to build-up or narrowing of the arteries.  And if blood and oxygen is not flowing throughout the body properly, the risk of stroke (where oxygen is not reaching the brain due to artery blockage) increases tremendously.  Some estimates indicate that 70 percent of stroke incidents can be directly linked back to high blood pressure!

That said, how does having low magnesium increase one’s risk for developing the country’s third leading cause of death?  For that answer, we go to the study’s researchers.

I suppose their answer doesn’t tell us much, but they say that magnesium has an “anti-hypertensive mechanism” built into it.  What this “anti-hypertensive mechanism” is, not even they know, but what they do know is that the lower the 14,000 men and women’s magnesium levels were that were studied, the higher their risk for stroke.  And in the approximately 600 cases of stroke incidents over the 15-year study period, those who had diabetes and high blood pressure were the most common stroke victims.

The researchers, unsurprisingly, are loath to advocate using magnesium supplements as a method in which to staunch the risk of stroke, but at least one researcher, who came away with similar results with respect to magnesium and diabetes prevention, said that consuming a magnesium-rich diet would at least be “prudent.”

Well, there’s a ringing endorsement.

I’m grateful for these researchers and their work that supports what I and many others have long been telling you with regards to minerals and avoiding life-robbing diseases and conditions, but I wish they’d be straight with the people and make a definitive statement:  Magnesium is one of the three great minerals that diminish the risk of stroke.

In the meantime, you can increase your intake of magnesium through supplements (400 to 800 milligrams per day), or through the regular consumption of magnesium-rich foods, like halibut, beans, whole grains, and spinach.

To keep your heart functioning magnificently, put a premium on magnesium.

Sources:
About.com
Nutraingredients-usa.com
American Heart Association

For 1 year, a double blind test which involved a group of Caucasian girls between the ages of 8 & 14 was performed. During the test, the girls were given either a daily 300 mg supplement of magnesium oxide – divided in two doses – or a placebo.

According to the researchers, the girls who took the magnesium supplement had significant increases in body mineral content in some parts of the body, meaning stronger bones. Along with an “increased accrual” of body mineral content in the hips, a slightly increased accrual of body mineral content in the spine was apparent as well.

While the magnesium supplements in this study were easily tolerated, it should be noted that magnesium taken in extreme amounts can cause diarrhea.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the daily recommended intake of magnesium is 240 mg for boys and girls age 9 to 13, and 360 mg for girls ages 14 to 18, leveling off at 300 mg as adults. Boys between the ages of 14 and 18 should take in 410 mg and keep it up as an adult.

According to the web site of the federal National Institutes of Health, roughly 50 percent of the magnesium found in the average human is within the bones.

According to the study’s summary, “Limited studies suggest that dietary magnesium intake and bone mineral density are correlated in adults, but no data from interventional studies in children and adolescents are available.”

The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Folks, magnesium is another essential mineral. An increased intake of the mineral can help prevent depression, dizziness and muscle weakness. Studies have also demonstrated that magnesium supplements can reduce birth defects when taken during pregnancy. The bottom here is that a magnesium deficiency can mean a possible manifestation of health problems.

Magnesium is also found in many foods. Rich sources include apples, apricots, avocados (the healthy fat), bananas, brown rice, cantaloupe, garlic, grapefruit, and green leafy veggies.