General Health
Magnesium reduces gallstone risk
By David Liu, Ph. D.
Feb 24, 2008 - 2:07:39 PM

If you like the article, could you please do us a favor? Just tell Google News Services that you like foodconsumer.org included in Google News Services. Inclusion in googlenewsservices means many more people can read articles like this. Thanks.
------

SUNDAY FEB 24, 2008 (Foodconsumer.org) -- Long term high intake of magnesium through a diet or supplementation may help reduce risk of gallstone, according to a study by researchers from University of Kentucky Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

The study published in the Feb, 2008 issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology showed those who were in the quintile of highest intake of magnesium were 33 percent less likely to develop gallstones.

Magnesium deficiency has been known to cause dyslipidemia and insulin hypersecretion, which may promote gallstone formation, according to the background information provided in the study report.

The study of 42,705 US men was conducted between 1986 and 2002 to examine any association between magnesium consumption and risk of gallstone disease.

For the study, the researchers surveyed the diet habits using a validated semi quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Cases of gallstone disease were recorded every two years.  During the 560,810 person-years of follow-up, 2,195 incident cases of symptomatic gallstone were identified.

Comparing those in the quintile of highest intake of magnesium to those in the lowest quintile, the risk of gallstone was 33 percent lower in the former than the latter. This was true both for the total intake of magnesium and dietary intake.

After other risk factors were reconsidered, the risk associated with the highest total intake of magnesium was still 28 percent lower and the risk for the highest dietary intake was 32 percent lower, both remaining significant in a dose-dependent manner.  

Giovannucci EL and colleagues concluded "Our findings suggest a protective role of magnesium consumption in the prevention of symptomatic gallstone disease among men."
 
Magnesium rich foods include 100% bran cereal, oat bran, brown rice, almonds, lima beans, chopped Swiss chard, blackstrap molasses, and chopped frozen spinach.