Magnesium May Reduce Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome

VRP Staff

Northwestern University scientists have found that the more magnesium a person consumes, the less risk they have of developing metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome, formally called syndrome X, is a cluster of symptoms that includes hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, and insulin resistance. Individuals who have this syndrome are at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Studies suggest that high magnesium intake may reduce the risk of various components of the metabolic syndrome, including hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, past studies have also found that higher magnesium intake may decrease blood triglycerides and increase levels of the “good” cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

The researchers in the current study used a food frequency questionnaire in conjunction with the nutrient database developed by the Minnesota Nutrition Coordinating Center to determine dietary magnesium intakes of 4,637 Americans. At baseline, the subjects were aged 18 to 30 years and free from metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

The scientists followed the subjects for 15 years, during which time 608 incident cases of the metabolic syndrome developed. After adjusting for such factors as major lifestyle and dietary variables and the baseline status of each metabolic syndrome component, the researchers determined that subjects who had the highest magnesium intake had the lowest risk of developing metabolic syndrome as a whole compared to participants with the lowest intake. In addition, subjects who had the highest magnesium intake had a lower risk of developing individual components of the metabolic syndrome, including fasting insulin levels.

According to the researchers, “Our findings suggest that young adults with higher magnesium intake have lower risk of development of metabolic syndrome.”

Reference:
He K, Liu K, Daviglus ML, Morris SJ, Loria CM, Van Horn L, Jacobs DR Jr, Savage PJ. Magnesium intake and incidence of metabolic syndrome among young adults. Circulation. 2006 Apr 4;113(13):1675-82. Epub 2006 Mar 27.