May 17, 2005 – A diet low in magnesium may contribute to the development of coronary heart disease. At least that’s what researchers from Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago (United States) revealed at the American Heart Association’s annual conference on the prevention of cardiovascular disorders.
This conclusion is based on the results of a 15-year study of 2,977 subjects (men and women) aged 18 to 30 at the start of the study. We put in parallel their nutritional intake of magnesium and an indicator of coronary heart disease: the level of calcium in the walls of the arteries. High arterial calcium levels are associated with coronary heart disease such as atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis, which increase the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Analysis of the dietary magnesium intake for each of the participants revealed that, in subjects with low intakes, arterial calcium levels were significantly higher. In other words, a diet low in magnesium can cause the onset of coronary heart disease.
However, magnesium deficiency is far from being an exceptional phenomenon in our modern societies. European and North American data indicate that dietary intakes of this mineral are often lower than recommended nutritional intakes1.2.
The results of this study do not make it possible to determine precisely how much magnesium you need to absorb to protect against coronary heart disease, but they do encourage you to pay special attention to foods rich in magnesium. Legumes, seeds, nuts, whole grains, wheat germ, dark green leafy vegetables, fish, and brewer’s yeast are good sources of magnesium. Note that refining, especially of cereals, as well as food processing have the effect of considerably reducing their content of this precious mineral (see the Magnesium sheet for more information on food sources and recommended nutritional intakes).
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to HealthDay News.
1. Galan P, Preziosi P, Durlach V, et al. Dietary magnesium intake in a French adult population.Magnes Res. 1997 Dec; 10 (4): 321-8.
2. Ford ES and Mokdad AH. Dietary magnesium intake in a national sample of US adults. J Nutr. 2003; 133: 2879-82. Full text: www.nutrition.org