Home
You can view the current or previous issues of Diabetes Health online, in their entirety, anytime you want.
Click Here To View
See if you qualify for our free healthcare professional magazines. Click here to start your application for Pre-Diabetes Health, Diabetes Health Pharmacist and Diabetes Health Professional.
Latest Vitamins Articles
Popular Vitamins Articles
Highly Recommended Vitamins Articles
Email to a Friend
Send a link to this page to your friends and colleagues.
It’s Good for Us
Food editor’s note: Because people with kidney disease may not be able to excrete excess amounts of magnesium, they should not consume magnesium supplements unless prescribed by a physician. More information about magnesium can be found at: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp.
So Why Aren’t We Consuming Enough Magnesium?
Even though an adequate dietary intake of magnesium may alleviate the risk of cardiovascular disease, most Americans still consume magnesium at levels well below the recommended daily allowance (RDA).
In a cross-sectional nationally representative survey, researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston reviewed the diets of participants who were not taking magnesium or magnesium-containing supplements. Their results suggest that inadequate dietary magnesium consumption is associated with Creactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation.
“Among U.S. adults, 68 percent consumed less than the recommended daily allowance of magnesium, and 19 percent consumed less than 50 percent of the RDA,” the researchers wrote.
They add that adults who consumed less than the RDA of magnesium were 1.48 to 1.75 times more likely to have elevated CRP than adults who consumed more magnesium than the RDA. In addition, adults over age 40 with a BMI greater than 25 who consumed less than 50 percent of the RDA for magnesium were 2.24 times more likely to have elevated CRP than adults consuming the RDA.
—Journal of the American College of Nutrition, June 2005
Current dietary guidelines recommend adequate daily intake of magnesium (320 mg for adult women and 420 mg for adult men) in order to maintain health and lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Source: Journal of the American College of Nutrition
Dana E. King, MD, MS, of the Medical University of South Carolina was a lead researcher on the magnesium study:
Why is this study important?
It demonstrates for the first time that there is an association between magnesium intake and CRP levels. Most people consume less than the recommended daily allowance of magnesium. One of the possible consequences of that is elevated CRP levels. In our study, after taking other risk factors into account, adults who consumed less than the RDA were 48 to 75 percent more likely to have elevated CRP than people who consumed the RDA or more.
What are some dietary sources of magnesium?
Halibut (3 oz.), almonds and other nuts (1 oz.), soybeans (1/2 cup), spinach (1/2 cup), and oatmeal (1 cup) all provide approximately 75 mg toward the recommended dietary allowance of 320 mg for adult women and 420mg for adult men.
Were can people get magnesium in pill form?
It is available over the counter in common multiple vitamin and mineral supplements, in calcium-magnesium combinations and individually. No prospective studies have yet shown that taking a magnesium supplement will lower CRP levels.
Categories: Nutrition Research, Vitamins
You May Also Be Interested In...
-
Diabetes Health
Diabetes Health is the essential resource for people living with diabetes- both newly diagnosed and experienced as well as the professionals who care for them. We provide balanced expert news and information on living healthfully with diabetes. Each issue includes cutting-edge editorial coverage of new products, research, treatment options, and meaningful lifestyle issues.
-
Topics
- Diabetic / Diabetes Health
- Type 1 / 1.5 Diabetes
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Blood Glucose / Sugar
- High/Low Blood Sugar / Fast Acting Glucose
- Insulin- Pumps, Pens & Syringes
- Continuous Glucose Monitors, CGM, Infusion Sets
- Type 2 Medications
- Hyperglycemia
- Hypoglycemia
Comments
Add your comments about this article below. You can add comments as a registered user or anonymously. If you choose to post anonymously your comments will be sent to our moderator for approval before they appear on this page. If you choose to post as a registered user your comments will appear instantly.
When voicing your views via the comment feature, please respect the Diabetes Health community by refraining from comments that could be considered offensive to other people. Diabetes Health reserves the right to remove comments when necessary to maintain the cordial voice of the diabetes community.
For your privacy and protection, we ask that you do not include personal details such as address or telephone number in any comments posted.
Don't have your Diabetes Health Username? Register now and add your comments to all our content.
Register...
Register your Diabetes Health Username here.
Have Your Say...