Men See Benefit in CHD Risk With Magnesium
Lee Swanson Research Update
Increased intakes of magnesium appear to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in men, according to a new study, but the evidence is lacking for women.
With the mineral being implicated in more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, and toxicity issues being rare, "oral magnesium supplementation is recommended," conclude Tavia Mathers and Renea Beckstrand from Brigham Young University in the Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
"At this time, research is inadequate to prove that oral magnesium intake decreases the future risk of CHD development; but, in the meantime, maintaining a high normal serum magnesium level has been shown to have very few side-effects and is clearly beneficial after the diagnosis of CHD to prevent further complications of heart disease," added Mathers and Beckstrand.
Dietary sources of magnesium include green, leafy vegetables, meats, starches, grains and nuts, and milk. Earlier dietary surveys show that many, if not most adults do not meet the RDA for magnesium (320 mg per day for women and 420 mg per day for men).
The Utah-based scientists searched the literature and found six randomized control clinical trials (RCT) and prospective studies that met their inclusion criteria. Magnesium doses used in the studies ranged from 130 mg to 800 mg of magnesium per day.
"There was a modest relationship between dietary magnesium intake and a reduced risk of CHD in male subjects; however, there was no noted decrease in the development of CHD in women who had high magnesium intake," wrote the researchers.
Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners 21(12):651-657, 2009
