How more magnesium in your diet can help ward off heart disease, stroke and diabetes

A diet rich in magnesium – found mainly in legumes, nuts, seeds, fish and whole grains – may reduce the risk of diseases including coronary heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, according to a new study by mainland Chinese researchers.

The scientists, from Zhejiang University and Zhengzhou University in China, analysed the evidence of dietary magnesium on health outcomes from 40 studies covering a period from 1999 to 2016, involving a total of more than one million people across nine countries. They found that people in the highest category of dietary magnesium consumption had a 10 per cent lower risk of coronary heart disease, 12 per cent lower risk of stroke and a 26 per cent lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those in the lowest category. Their results also indicate that an extra 100 milligrams per day of dietary magnesium could also reduce risk of stroke by 7 per cent and type 2 diabetes by 19 per cent.

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Dr Fudi Wang, lead author from the School of Public Health at Zhejiang University, says: “The current health guidelines recommend a magnesium intake of [about] 300mg per day for men and 270mg per day for women. Despite this, magnesium deficiency is relatively common, affecting between 2.5 per cent and 15 per cent of the general population.”

Magnesium is vital for human health and normal biological functions including glucose metabolism, protein production and synthesis of nucleic acids such as DNA.

The researchers say it is not possible to rule out the effect of other biological or lifestyle factors influencing the results. It is also not possible to determine if magnesium is directly responsible for reducing disease risk. However, the findings reinforce the notion that increased consumption of magnesium-rich foods could be beneficial for overall health.

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