Magnesium Reduces Stroke Risk

STOCKHOLMDietary magnesium intake was inversely associated with risk of ischemic stroke (strokes caused by blood clots in the brain) in a recent meta-analysis from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden (Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Feb;95(2):362-6).

Researchers conducted a dose-response meta-using seven prospective studies from January 1966 through September 2011 with 6,477 cases of stroke and 241,378 participants. They found a modest, but statistically significant inverse association between magnesium intake and risk of stroke. An intake increment of 100 mg magnesium/d was associated with an 8-percent reduction in risk of total stroke. Magnesium intake was inversely associated with risk of ischemic stroke, but not intracerebral hemorrhage or subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Ischemic stroke occurs as a result of an obstruction within a blood vessel, a partial or total blockage of an artery supplying blood to the brain. It accounts for 88 percent of all stroke cases, and according to the Internet Stroke Center, stroke is the third highest cause of death in the United States.

Previous studies have reported low levels of magnesium are associated with an increased rick of stroke.