Dementia is an increasingly common condition. It affected an estimated 57.4 million people in 2019, and experts predict that the number will rise to 152.8 million by 2050. Dementia is an umbrella term for symptoms caused by damage to the brain, the most famous being Alzheimer’s disease. The symptoms can include difficulty concentrating, memory loss, confusion, and problems with familiar tasks. There is no cure for this condition, which is the seventh leading cause of death in the world. So researchers are searching for the best way to prevent it in younger people. According to a new study, a diet high in magnesium may help prevent dementia in people as they age.
The Effects of Magnesium on Dementia Risk
Scientists from the Neuroimaging and Brain Lab at The Australian National University (ANU) found that people who upped their intake of magnesium-rich foods had a lower risk of dementia. They studied over 6,000 healthy participants aged 40 to 73 in the United Kingdom. Those who ate over 550 milligrams of magnesium every day had the brain age of someone one year younger when they turned age 55. This was compared to people who had a standard intake of about 350 milligrams of magnesium each day.
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“Magnesium and Good Brain Health”
“Our study shows a 41 percent increase in magnesium intake could lead to less age-related brain shrinkage, which is associated with better cognitive function and lower risk or delayed onset of dementia in later life,” said lead author and Ph.D. researcher Khawlah Alateeq, from the ANU National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health. “This research highlights the potential benefits of a diet high in magnesium and the role it plays in promoting good brain health.”
Dementia Prevention
Risk factors for dementia include diabetes, smoking, alcohol use, and high cholesterol levels. They also include age and family history, both of which people have no control over. So a person could be overall healthy and properly managing underlying health conditions but still be at high risk of the disease that has no cure. So, research such as this one investigates dementia prevention methods that most people are capable of implementing, such as consuming more magnesium.
“Since there is no cure for dementia and the development of pharmacological treatments have been unsuccessful for the past 30 years, it’s been suggested that greater attention should be directed towards prevention,” said study co-author Dr. Erin Walsh. “Our research could inform the development of public health interventions aimed at promoting healthy brain aging through dietary strategies.”
Adding Magnesium to Your Diet
Therefore, the researchers encourage people to add this nutrient into their regular diet, the sooner the better. “The study shows higher dietary magnesium intake may contribute to neuroprotection earlier in the aging process, and preventative effects may begin in our 40s or even earlier,” said Alateeq. “This means people of all ages should be paying closer attention to their magnesium intake. We also found the neuroprotective effects of more dietary magnesium appears to benefit women more than men and more so in post-menopausal than pre-menopausal women, although this may be due to the anti-inflammatory effect of magnesium.”
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Foods High in Magnesium
The researchers used data from the results of online questionnaires the participants filled out five times over the course of 16 months. They then calculated the daily magnesium intake of the participants based on 200 foods, with specific consideration on those full of the mineral.
Foods That Are High In Magnesium Include:
- Pumpkin seeds
- Chia seeds
- Almonds
- Spinach
- Cashews
- Peanuts
- Black beans
- Edamame
- Peanut butter
- Potatoes
- Brown rice
- Oatmeal
- Kidney beans
- Bananas
- Salmon
- Halibut
Read More: Woman Who Had Dementia For 5 Years Turned Out To Have A Common And Reversible Condition
Sources
- “Dietary magnesium intake is related to larger brain volumes and lower white matter lesions with notable sex differences.” European Journal of Nutrition. Khawlah Alateeq. March 10, 2023
- “Dementia Risk Factors.” Stanford Medicine.
- “A higher dose of magnesium each day keeps dementia at bay.” MedicalXpress. Australian National University. March 23, 2023.
- “Magnesium.” NIH. June 2, 2022.