Half the population of industrialized countries has a magnesium deficiency. Fourth most abundant mineral in the body, magnesium, essential for health and memory, could play an even more important for the healthy functioning of nerve cells in what was considered until now, a study suggests published in the journal Neuron.
Dr. Inna Slutsky’s work and his colleagues have shown that rodents with a diet containing a healthy intake of magnesium, the addition of magnesium-L-theronate (MGT), newly developed by the research team, improved memory among young and elderly subjects.
Those who received the supplement had improved cognitive functioning and they showed an increase of synapses in the brain (nerve endings that transmit information). The levels of magnesium in the cerebrospinal fluid was increased.
Magnesium supplements are currently marketed, however, are not effective because they do not cross the blood-brain barrier. The new addition will soon be tested in clinical trials.
In the meantime, researchers recommend to improve the intake of magnesium is found in many foods, including beans, dark chocolate, leafy vegetables, broccoli, almonds, cashew nuts and fruit. The benefits do not appear in a single day but are cumulative, “said Dr. Slutsky. With a persistent change of power, memory should improve and the effects of dementia and other diseases affecting cognitive functions could be significantly delayed, “said the researcher.
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