Nutrient Dense
Even though I write about nutrition nearly every day, I'm still
often amazed at the power that individual nutrients can have
on our overall health. And one of the most important of those
nutrients is magnesium.
Again and again I come across information about the benefits
of adequate magnesium intake. For instance, in previous e-
Alerts I've told you how magnesium has been shown to help
prevent heart disease, promote bone flexibility, and even
reduce cravings for sweets. And in the e-Alert "Sweet Tooth"
(11/3/03), I told you about a study that demonstrated how
low levels of magnesium may increase the risk of type 2
diabetes.
That research has now been followed up with a study that
examines the important connection between magnesium
intake and diabetes risk from another angle: prevention.
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Enough may be plenty
------------------------------------------------------------ The most recent magnesium research comes from Harvard
Medical School where researchers used data from the
Women's Health Study in which more than 39,000 women,
who were age 45 or older, shared information on their dietary
habits and medical history over an average period of six
years. The Harvard team also isolated the records of nearly
350 healthy subjects who participated in the study, to analyze
the relationship of fasting insulin levels to magnesium intake.
In the journal Diabetes Care, the researchers write that high
magnesium levels were significantly associated with a
reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Even more
conclusive was this result: Women who were overweight and
had only adequate magnesium levels reduced their diabetes
risk by more than 20 percent when compared to overweight
women who had low levels of magnesium.
So not only did the results confirm the protective role that
magnesium may play in helping prevent type 2 diabetes, but
they also indicated that mega-dosing with magnesium is not
necessary to reap the benefits.
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Mineral deposit… and withdrawal
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Magnesium is easy to get from dietary sources such as leafy
green vegetables, nuts, dried beans and whole grains. Unfortunately, many factors contribute to magnesium
depletion. High stress and menstruation can reduce
magnesium levels, while a heavy intake of starches, alcohol,
diuretics and some prescription drugs (such as antibiotics)
will increase urinary excretion of magnesium. So even if the
foods you eat may be magnesium-rich, these depleting
factors can easily starve your body of this essential mineral. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of magnesium is
420 mg for men and 320 mg for women. HSI Panelist Allan
Spreen, M.D., typically recommends a daily supplement of
500 mg of magnesium, with the added note that one should
avoid magnesium oxide, which he describes as a "poor form"
that doesn't contain enough elemental magnesium. Dr.
Spreen says, "Magnesium gluconate or chelated magnesium
would be my choices for the general buyer." If you're concerned that you might have a magnesium
deficiency, ask your doctor to test your blood for magnesium
levels. A normal range is anywhere between .66 and 1.23
mmol/L (millimoles per liter). Then you can be reassured that
your magnesium intake is being absorbed to deliver all the
benefits from this essential nutrient. **************************************************************
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…and another thing
Fiber is good. I know; I'm really going out on a limb with that one. Without question, we need ample amounts of water-soluble
fiber (such as fruits and vegetables) and insoluble fiber (such
as whole wheat) in our diets. But when we add supplemental
fiber to the mix, there may be a drawback that you'll never
hear mentioned in the TV commercials. In a recent posting on the HSI Forum, a member named Mike
asked this question: "I have read that I should not take my
supplements at the same time that I take fiber. Anyone know
if this is really true and if it applies to soluble as well as
insoluble fiber?" I knew that Dr. Spreen would have a take on this issue.
Here's how he responded when I sent him Mike's question: "For the purist, fiber is preferentially obtained through an
unrefined diet (whole grain spaghetti, whole wheat bread,
etc.). When fiber is taken additionally (psyllium seed,
Metamucil, etc.), higher amounts can in fact interfere with
nutrient absorption, but I think most practitioners feel that it's
the added fiber that's the problem, and even then it requires
pretty high amounts. "As for the soluble/insoluble question, that's a good one, and
I can only offer an opinion on it without actual data. I doubt
soluble fiber is as bad as insoluble in terms of interfering
with nutrient absorption, since the problem with fiber along
those lines is a physical blocking activity and insoluble
particles (it would seem) would allow more nutrients to reach
the bowel wall where they are absorbed across it." To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson
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Sources:
"Dietary Magnesium Intake in Relation to Plasma Insulin
Levels and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Women" Diabetes
Care, Vol. 27, No. 1, January 2004, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
"Magnesium May Reduce Risk of Diabetes" Karen Collins,
R.D., MSNBC, 5/7/04, msnbc.com | 
