Magnesium and Inflammation

Breakthrough Study Finds Magnesium as a Solution to Inflammation and Chronic Disease

Many doctors and research scientists now believe that most chronic diseases may have the same root cause: inflammation.

“There are clear indications that inflammation explains why plaque builds up in the arteries in patients with atherosclerosis,” says Philip Schauer, MD, director of the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. “Chronic inflammation also plays a direct role in diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, asthma and other conditions.”

In a breakthrough 2014 study just published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers concluded that the healthful effect of magnesium intake on chronic diseases may be, at least in part, explained by inhibiting inflammation.

“Magnesium has been used as an anti-inflammatory agent for centuries, as anyone who has taken an Epsom salts bath knows. It is a remarkable muscle relaxant and pain reliever,” says Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, magnesium expert and Medical Advisory Board member of the nonprofit Nutritional Magnesium Association (www.nutritionalmagnesium.org). According to Dr. Dean, “This new study used a standard measurement for inflammation called the C-reactive protein (CRP) test. CRP levels rise in response to inflammation. Seven studies including 32,918 participants were assessed for dietary intake of magnesium and CRP levels. The researchers found that the more magnesium a person received in their diet, the lower their CRP levels. The researchers also assessed five intervention studies in which they found a potential beneficial effect of taking magnesium supplementation on serum CRP levels. Magnesium’s unique ability to inhibit inflammation and lower CRP levels is a tremendous advance in curbing chronic disease.”

Selected Sources:

“Dietary magnesium intake is inversely associated with serum C-reactive protein levels: meta-analysis and systematic review” by D. T. Dibaba, P. Xun, and K. He. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2014) 68: 510–16; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2014.7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Dietary+magnesium+intake+is+inversely+associated+with+serum+C-reactive+protein+levels%3A+meta-analysis+and+systematic+review%E2%80%9D

“Magnesium and the inflammatory response: Potential physiopathological implications” by Andrzej Mazur, Jeanette A. M. Maier, Edmond Rock, Elyett Gueux, Wojciech Nowacki, and Yves Rayssiguier. Archives of Biochemistry & Biophysics 458, no. 1 (February 1, 2007): 48–56.