Magnesium May Help Reduce Risk of Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke

Magnesium plays an essential role in glucose metabolism, protein production and DNA synthesis. A recent study suggests that eating a diet rich in magnesium may help reduce the risk of developing type-2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

The data for this study came from 40 studies that were carried out between 1999 and 2016. The studies included more than one million people in nine countries. All of the studies used self-reported food frequency questionnaires or 24-hour dietary recalls to assess levels of magnesium intake.

The researchers found that the highest intake of magnesium was associated with a 10% lower risk of heart disease, a 12% lower risk of stroke, and a 26% lower risk of type-2 diabetes, when compared with the lowest intake.

They also found that an extra 100 mg of magnesium daily was associated with a 7% reduced risk of stroke, a 22% reduced risk of heart failure and a 19% reduced risk of type-2 diabetes.

Researchers from Zhejiang University and Zhengzhou University conducted the study. It was published on December 8, 2016, in BMC Medicine.

Magnesium helps build bones, enables nerves to function, and is essential to the production of energy from food. Previous studies have linked magnesium to reduced incidences of heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. Magnesium deficiency, which tends to be especially prevalent in older populations, is linked to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, coronary heart disease and osteoporosis.

Eating more magnesium rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, meats, starches, grains, nuts and milk is one way to increase your magnesium intake. Taking a supplement is also a good option.