A Mediterranean diet renowned its health benefits because it is high in fruit and vegetables, while keeping red meat and dairy to a minimum. But scientists have found another reason why such a diet is so beneficial – it is rich in magnesium.
Did you know that leafy greens, fish, nuts and whole grains might help reduce the risk of chronic health conditions such as diabetes and even heart disease? Why? Because of the magnesium.
Here’s the rub: insufficient magnesium levels have been linked to a greater risk of developing a wide range of health problems including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and cardiovascular disease.
Dr Xuexian Fang, a nutrition researcher at Zhengzhou University in China has examined the link between dietary magnesium and chronic disease. His team studied data from 40 studies published from 1999 to 2016 that involved more than one million people across nine countries.
Well if the proof is in the pudding… the study noted that a magnesium-rich diet produced a 10 per cent lower risk of coronary heart disease, 12 per cent lower risk of stroke and a 26 per cent lower risk of type 2 diabetes. The NHS recommends 300mg of magnesium a day for men and 270mg a day for women.
However, 11 per cent of women and 16 per cent of men are magnesium deficient, while nearly half of teenagers do not get enough of the mineral.
Dr Fudi Wang, lead author of the study at Zhejiang University in China, said: ‘Low levels of magnesium in the body have been associated with a range of diseases but no conclusive evidence has been put forward on the link between dietary magnesium and health risks.
Researchers looked at the effect of increasing dietary magnesium by 100 milligrams a day, but noted that there was no impact on total risk of cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease. But the scientists did note that increasing dietary magnesium by this amount was linked to a 22 percent reduction in the risk of heart failure, and a seven percent decrease in the risk of stroke. It was also associated with a 19 percent reduction in the risk of diabetes.
While experts confess that they do not understand why magnesium improves health, Dr Fang said the mineral can help reduce inflammation which can lower the risk of developing chronic diseases.
However, they said the analysis is based on observational studies and can’t prove magnesium directly prevents disease. With that in mind, foods high in magnesium include spinach, chard, pumpkin seeds, almonds, dark chocolate and bananas.
