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New research published recently shows that magnesium, whose health benefits are already well known, is proving useful in some unexpected applications.
The health benefits of magnesium — which is commonly found in food supplements and leafy vegetables and is deemed vital for healthy bones and good circulation — are well known, but new research published recently shows that the element is proving useful in some unexpected applications.
Preventing Alzheimer’s
Z News reported that a deficiency of magnesium could play a role in cognitive impairment, and, more seriously, Alzheimer’s disease.
Research spearheaded by Dr. Guosong Liu, a leading cognitive health researcher, suggests that elevating magnesium levels through diet has a positive effect on the brain synapses of mice, and helps restore aging brains to a younger state.
“The body of our peer-reviewed and published work underscores that magnesium threonate can help maintain healthy brain activity. There is no doubt that magnesium threonate has dramatic effects in preventing synapse loss and reversing memory decline in mice with Alzheimer’s disease,” Z News quoted Dr. Liu as saying. The study is expected to be published next year.
Better than cholesterol drugs
Meanwhile, a top cardiologist is recommending that patients with heart disease consider trying magnesium instead of drugs that lower cholesterol, the most common preventative treatment for heart disease.
Dr. Dennis Goodman, one of the top heart specialists in the United States, responded to a report urging wider use of cholesterol drugs called “statins” by saying that magnesium may be safer and more effective than statins.
“Magnesium is one of the most overlooked, underused answers to heart disease,” said Dr. Goodman, who just wrote Magnificent Magnesium: Your Essential Key to a Healthy Heart and More, due to be released this January. “I prefer to focus on lifestyle changes including healthy nutrition, exercise and stress management and to recommend magnesium rather than prescribing a statin.”
“Deprived of magnesium, your heart cannot produce enough energy; without energy, your heart, arteries, and veins quickly begin to deteriorate, leading to heart cell death,” he stated. “Both directly and indirectly, magnesium deficiency may be at the very core of heart disease. Simply put, magnesium is one of the most essential nutrients for promoting and maintaining proper heart function.”
Protects against diabetes
Ingesting magnesium may also prevent healthy people from developing diabetes. As reported by TeleManagement, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health followed 85,000 women and 42,500 men who were free of diabetes, heart disease and cancer for up to 18 years. Their magnesium intake was calculated through food questionnaires, and the study identifies which participants developed type 2 diabetes. Results show that the participants who consumed the most magnesium were two-thirds less likely to develop diabetes than those who ate little magnesium.
“This study shows that eating foods that contain more magnesium appears to protect someone against developing diabetes, to a certain extent,” TeleManagement reported.
Medical devices that biodegrade
Finally, researchers in Korea have discovered that a biodegradable magnesium alloy can be used in medical devices implanted in the human body. According to ScienceDaily, the high-strength metal, made from basic elements and minerals essential to the human body, decomposes from between six months and two years, meaning that “medical devices made with these materials are expected to reshape the landscape in the field of fracture treatment” because a second operation to remove the device will no longer be required.
The KIST Consortium has also developed biodegradable medical devices for use in orthopedics and plastic surgery while earning approval to clinically test the devices. A clinical trial is currently being conducted by Ajou University Medical Center in South Korea.
Securities Disclosure: I, Andrew Topf, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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