Researchers from the Neuroimaging and Brain Lab at The Australian National University (ANU) have found that a higher daily intake of magnesium can lead to improved brain health as we age. The research is published in the European Journal of Nutrition.
The study, which involved over 6,000 cognitively healthy participants in the United Kingdom aged 40 to 73, discovered that consuming more than 550 milligrams of magnesium each day can result in a brain age that is approximately one year younger by the time one reaches 55, compared to those who consume a normal amount of magnesium, which is around 350 milligrams per day. This finding suggests that increasing the consumption of magnesium-rich foods, such as spinach and nuts, can also help reduce the risk of dementia, which is currently the second leading cause of death in Australia and the seventh biggest killer worldwide.
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The study showed that a 41% 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. Since there is no cure for dementia and the development of pharmacological treatments have been unsuccessful for the past 30 years, greater attention should be directed towards prevention, which could be informed by the research conducted by their team.
The researchers suggest that a higher intake of magnesium in our diets, starting from a younger age, may safeguard against neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive decline by the time we reach our 40s. This implies that people of all ages should be paying closer attention to their magnesium intake. The study also revealed that the neuroprotective effects of more dietary magnesium appear to benefit women more than men, especially in post-menopausal women, although this may be due to the anti-inflammatory effect of magnesium.
The ANU team used an online questionnaire completed five times over a period of 16 months to calculate the daily magnesium intake of participants. The questionnaire was based on 200 different foods with varying portion sizes, with a focus on magnesium-rich foods such as leafy green vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains to provide an average estimation of magnesium intake from the participants’ diets. As the number of people diagnosed with dementia worldwide is expected to more than double by 2050, the findings of this study may inform the development of public health interventions aimed at promoting healthy brain ageing through dietary strategies.
