Magnesium & Brain Health
Dementia cases are expected to increase from 57.4 million worldwide in 2019 to 152.8 million in 2050. Since there is no cure, researchers are interested in preventative interventions. Prior research has shown that higher levels of magnesium in the brain resulted in the following neuroprotective results: less inflammation, lower levels of oxidative stress, and greater synaptic plasticity.
Researchers wanted to examine the impact on brain health of magnesium consumption from food. Data on magnesium intake and structural MRI brain scans was collected from 6,001 participants, age 40-73 years, from the UK Biobank. The UK Biobank is a cohort study of 502,655 participants who began providing data in 2006. Examples of foods that are high in magnesium and part of the inquiry were leafy green vegetables such as spinach, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Brain regions of interest were the hippocampus, gray matter, white matter, and white matter lesions.
In the brain, gray matter and the hippocampus (there are 2 hippocampi, one in each brain hemisphere) have large numbers of neurons that process information allowing us to plan, communicate, and regulate memory, emotion, and movement. The information travels through the brain via white matter signaling. Smaller volume in the hippocampus, gray matter, and whiter matter, as well as increased white matter lesions are indicators of neurodegeneration and impaired cognitive function.
The study showed that higher dietary magnesium was associated with larger brain volume and fewer white matter lesions which indicated better brain health. The impacts were more evident in women than men.
The researcher’s model predicted that compared to a normal intake of 350 mg of magnesium per day, people who regularly consumed about 550 mg of magnesium per day would benefit from approximately 20% larger gray matter and 46% larger hippocampus. This higher intake from food indicates significantly better brain health and preservation of cognitive capacity.
Takeaway: Magnesium in food can improve brain health and protect cognitive fitness as we age. Foods rich in magnesium, from the most to the least, include: pumpkin seeds, almonds, spinach, cashews, peanuts, soy milk, black beans, edamame, dark chocolate, peanut butter, avocados, baked potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal, kidney beans, bananas, salmon, halibut, broccoli, apples, and carrots.
Sources
Khawlah Alateeq, Erin I. Walsh and Nicolas Cherbuin , Dietary Magnesium Intake is Related to Larger Brain Volumes and Lower White Matter Lesions with Notable Sex Differences, European Journal of Nutrition, March 10, 2023, Dietary magnesium intake is related to larger brain volumes and lower white matter lesions with notable sex differences | SpringerLink
Cleveland Clinic, Magnesium Rich Food, Nov. 24, 2020, Magnesium-Rich Food Information (clevelandclinic.org).
#brainhealth #mentalstrength #professionalbrain #lawyerbrain #lawyerwellbeing
Note: I will be taking a break from The Professional Brain Newsletter to finish my book, The Legal Brain, until the end of the summer. Wishing you warmth and well-being and I’ll be back with new brain health and mental strength research this fall.
