Nutrient Dense

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

 

 

Nutrient Dense

Thu, 16 Dec 2004 08:16:18 -0500

 

Nutrient Dense

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

 

December 16, 2004

 

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Dear Reader,

 

Even though I write about nutrition nearly every day, I'm still

often amazed at the power that individual nutrients can have

on our overall health. And one of the most important of those

nutrients is magnesium.

 

Again and again I come across information about the benefits

of adequate magnesium intake. For instance, in previous e-

Alerts I've told you how magnesium has been shown to help

prevent heart disease, promote bone flexibility, and even

reduce cravings for sweets. And in the e-Alert " Sweet Tooth "

(11/3/03), I told you about a study that demonstrated how

low levels of magnesium may increase the risk of type 2

diabetes.

 

That research has now been followed up with a study that

examines the important connection between magnesium

intake and diabetes risk from another angle: prevention.

 

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Enough may be plenty

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The most recent magnesium research comes from Harvard

Medical School where researchers used data from the

Women's Health Study in which more than 39,000 women,

who were age 45 or older, shared information on their dietary

habits and medical history over an average period of six

years. The Harvard team also isolated the records of nearly

350 healthy subjects who participated in the study, to analyze

the relationship of fasting insulin levels to magnesium intake.

 

In the journal Diabetes Care, the researchers write that high

magnesium levels were significantly associated with a

reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Even more

conclusive was this result: Women who were overweight and

had only adequate magnesium levels reduced their diabetes

risk by more than 20 percent when compared to overweight

women who had low levels of magnesium.

 

So not only did the results confirm the protective role that

magnesium may play in helping prevent type 2 diabetes, but

they also indicated that mega-dosing with magnesium is not

necessary to reap the benefits.

 

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Mineral deposit... and withdrawal

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Magnesium is easy to get from dietary sources such as leafy

green vegetables, nuts, dried beans and whole grains.

 

Unfortunately, many factors contribute to magnesium

depletion. High stress and menstruation can reduce

magnesium levels, while a heavy intake of starches, alcohol,

diuretics and some prescription drugs (such as antibiotics)

will increase urinary excretion of magnesium. So even if the

foods you eat may be magnesium-rich, these depleting

factors can easily starve your body of this essential mineral.

 

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of magnesium is

420 mg for men and 320 mg for women. HSI Panelist Allan

Spreen, M.D., typically recommends a daily supplement of

500 mg of magnesium, with the added note that one should

avoid magnesium oxide, which he describes as a " poor form "

that doesn't contain enough elemental magnesium. Dr.

Spreen says, " Magnesium gluconate or chelated magnesium

would be my choices for the general buyer. "

 

If you're concerned that you might have a magnesium

deficiency, ask your doctor to test your blood for magnesium

levels. A normal range is anywhere between .66 and 1.23

mmol/L (millimoles per liter). Then you can be reassured that

your magnesium intake is being absorbed to deliver all the

benefits from this essential nutrient.

 

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....and another thing

 

Fiber is good.

 

I know; I'm really going out on a limb with that one.

 

Without question, we need ample amounts of water-soluble

fiber (such as fruits and vegetables) and insoluble fiber (such

as whole wheat) in our diets. But when we add supplemental

fiber to the mix, there may be a drawback that you'll never

hear mentioned in the TV commercials.

 

In a recent posting on the HSI Forum, a member named Mike

asked this question: " I have read that I should not take my

supplements at the same time that I take fiber. Anyone know

if this is really true and if it applies to soluble as well as

insoluble fiber? "

 

I knew that Dr. Spreen would have a take on this issue.

Here's how he responded when I sent him Mike's question:

 

" For the purist, fiber is preferentially obtained through an

unrefined diet (whole grain spaghetti, whole wheat bread,

etc.). When fiber is taken additionally (psyllium seed,

Metamucil, etc.), higher amounts can in fact interfere with

nutrient absorption, but I think most practitioners feel that it's

the added fiber that's the problem, and even then it requires

pretty high amounts.

 

" As for the soluble/insoluble question, that's a good one, and

I can only offer an opinion on it without actual data. I doubt

soluble fiber is as bad as insoluble in terms of interfering

with nutrient absorption, since the problem with fiber along

those lines is a physical blocking activity and insoluble

particles (it would seem) would allow more nutrients to reach

the bowel wall where they are absorbed across it. "

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

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Sources:

" Dietary Magnesium Intake in Relation to Plasma Insulin

Levels and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Women " Diabetes

Care, Vol. 27, No. 1, January 2004, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

" Magnesium May Reduce Risk of Diabetes " Karen Collins,

R.D., MSNBC, 5/7/04, msnbc.com

 

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