Role of magnesium in cognitive function in older adults

This article was previously published on July 16, 2020 and has been updated with new information.

I have previously discussed the synergy between magnesium and vitamin D and the importance of vitamin D for optimal immune function and overall health – especially as it relates to a reduced risk of COVID. your -19. Previous studies have also highlighted the role of this duo in cognitive function in older adults, as well as overall mortality.

Vitamin D and Magnesium Protect Cognitive Health

One such study,^first “Association of vitamin D and magnesium status with cognitive function in older adults: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011 to 2014,” indicates that vitamin D D not only protects neuronal structure and plays a role in neuronal calcium regulation, but also influences neurodegeneration risk as you get older.

Magnesium, meanwhile, in addition to being needed to convert vitamin D to its active form,^2,3,4 also plays a role in cognitive health, and magnesium deficiency has been linked to a number of neurological disorders.

Using NHANES data from 2,984 participants over the age of 60, the researchers compared serum vitamin D status and dietary magnesium intake with cognitive function scores.

After adjusting for confounding factors, including total calorie intake and magnesium intake, higher blood vitamin D levels were positively correlated with a reduced incidence of low cognitive function scores on the Substitution Test. alphanumeric symbols.

The same trend was found when they looked at vitamin D levels, rather than blood levels. The correlation between higher vitamin D levels and better cognitive function was particularly strong in people with magnesium intakes equal to or greater than 375 mg per day. According to the authors:⁵

“We found that higher serum 25(OH)D levels were associated with a reduced risk of low cognitive function in older adults, and this association appeared to be modified by absorbed magnesium levels.” take.”

Magnesium improves brain plasticity

While magnesium intake itself did not appear to have an impact on cognitive function in the above study, other research has highlighted its role in cognitive health.

Memory impairment occurs when the connections (synapses) between brain cells diminish. While many factors can come into play, magnesium is an important one. As noted by Dr. David Perlmutter, a neuroscientist and fellow of the American College of Nutrition:⁶

“It has been found that magnesium plays an important role in the activation of neural channels that are involved in synaptic plasticity. That means magnesium is important for muscle physiological events. for learning and memory processes.”

In 2010, a specific form of magnesium called magnesium threonate was found to enhance “learning, working memory, and short- and long-term memory in rats.”⁷ According to the authors, “Our findings suggest that an increase in magnesium in the brain enhances short-term synaptic potential and long-term potential, and improves learning and memory function.” .”

COVID-19 can deprive the brain of oxygen

While we’re on the subject of the brain, a July 1, 2020 article⁸ in the Washington Post reviewed findings from autopsies of COVID-19 patients. Surprisingly, Chinese researchers reported⁹ that COVID-19 patients may exhibit a wide range of neurological manifestations.

June 12, 2020, letter to editor^ten published in the New England Journal of Medicine also discusses the neuropathological features of COVID-19. As reported by The Washington Post:¹¹

“Patients have reported a range of neurological impairments, including decreased ability to smell or taste, altered mental status, stroke, seizures – even delirium… In June, the Researchers in France reported that 84% of patients in the intensive care unit had neurological problems, and third were confused or disoriented upon discharge.

… Also this month, people in the United Kingdom found that 57 out of 125 coronavirus patients with a new neurological or psychiatric diagnosis had experienced a stroke caused by a blood clot in the brain, and 39 of them altered mental status.

Based on such data and anecdotal reports, Isaac Solomon, a neuroscientist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, set out to systematically investigate where the virus might embed itself in the brain.

He conducted autopsies of 18 consecutive deaths, taking slices of important areas: the cerebral cortex (the gray matter responsible for processing information), the thalamus (which regulates sensory input) and the thalamus. ), basal ganglia (responsible for motor control) and other regions…”

Interestingly, while doctors and researchers initially suspected that encephalitis caused the neurological problems in some of the patients, Solomon’s autopsy revealed very little inflammation. . Instead, these neurological manifestations appear to be the result of brain damage from lack of oxygen.

Signs of hypoxia are present both in patients who have spent a significant amount of time in the intensive care unit and in those who die suddenly after a brief but severe illness. I believe this may be due to an increase in blood clotting in the brain microvasculature.

Solomon told The Washington Post he was “very surprised” by the discovery. However, it makes sense considering COVID-19 patients have been found to be oxygen-starved. As reported by The Washington Post:^twelfth

“When the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen, individual neurons die… To a certain extent, the human brain can compensate, but at some point the damage is so great that the Various functions begin to decline… The findings underscore the importance of getting people replenished with oxygen rapidly to prevent irreversible damage.”

Magnesium and Vitamin D Effect on Death

Back to magnesium and vitamin D, previous research¹³ using NHANES data from 2001 to 2006 showed that the duo had a positive effect on overall mortality. The study also showed that magnesium “fundamentally reversed vitamin D treatment resistance in patients with magnesium-dependent vitamin D-resistant rickets.”

The researchers hypothesized that magnesium supplementation increases your vitamin D levels by activating more of it, and so your risk of death could be reduced by increasing magnesium intake. That’s really what they found. According to the authors:

“High intake of total, dietary, or supplemental magnesium was independently associated with a significantly reduced risk of vitamin D deficiency and deficiency. Magnesium intake interacts significantly with associated vitamin D intake. to the risk of vitamin D deficiency and deficiency.

In addition, the inverse association between total magnesium intake and vitamin D deficiency occurred mainly in populations at high risk of vitamin deficiency.

Furthermore, the association of serum 25(OH)D with mortality, especially from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and colorectal cancer, is altered by magnesium intake, and the association is inversely related. occurs mainly in people with higher than average magnesium levels.

Our preliminary findings indicate that it is possible that magnesium intake alone or its interaction with vitamin D intake may contribute to vitamin D status. Association between serum 25(OH)D and risk Mortality may be altered by magnesium intake. ”

Magnesium reduces vitamin D requirements by 146%

According to a scientific evaluation^14,15 published in 2018, up to 50% of Americans taking vitamin D supplements may not get significant benefits because vitamin D is only stored in its inactive form and the reason for this is that they do not have enough magnesium.

Research published in 2013 also highlighted this issue, concluding that higher magnesium intake helps reduce the risk of vitamin D deficiency by activating more vitamin D. As noted by the authors:¹⁶

“High intake of total magnesium, dietary or supplemental was independently associated with significantly reduced risk of vitamin D deficiency and deficiency, respectively.

Magnesium intake significantly interacts with vitamin D intake in relation to the risk of vitamin D deficiency and deficiency… Our preliminary findings indicate that it is possible that magnesium supplementation alone or its interaction with intake Vitamin D may contribute to vitamin D status.

More recently, GrassonianHealth concluded¹⁷ you need 146% more vitamin D to achieve a blood level of 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L) if you don’t take a magnesium supplement, compared to if you supplement with at least 400 mg of magnesium per day.

However, the interaction between magnesium and vitamin D is not a one-way street. It goes both ways. Interestingly, while vitamin D improves magnesium absorption,¹⁸ Taking large doses of vitamin D can also deplete magnesium.¹⁹ Again, the reason for that is that magnesium is needed in the conversion of vitamin D into its active form.

Magnesium + Vitamin K reduces the need for vitamin D more

Magnesium isn’t the only nutrient that can have a significant impact on vitamin D status. Health data show that you can reduce your oral vitamin D requirement by 244% just by supplementing with magnesium and vitamin K2. As reported by Grass juniorHealth:²⁰

“… 244% more vitamin D supplementation is required for 50% of the population to achieve 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L) for those who do not take magnesium or vitamin K2 supplements compared with those who normally take both magnesium and vitamin D supplements. vitamin K2. “

How to increase your magnesium levels

The recommended daily intake of magnesium is about 310 mg to 420 mg per day depending on your age and gender,²¹ but many experts believe you may need between 600 mg and 900 mg per day.²²

I personally believe many people can benefit from a high intake of elemental magnesium 1 to 2 grams (1,000 to 2,000 mg) per day, as most of us have EMF exposures that simply cannot be mitigated and Supplemental magnesium intake can help reduce damage from that exposure.

My personal recommendation is that unless you have kidney disease and are on dialysis, continuously increase your magnesium dose until you have loose stools and then cut back. You want the highest dose you can tolerate and still have normal bowel movements.

When it comes to oral supplementation, my personal favorite is magnesium threonate, as it seems to be most effective at penetrating cell membranes, including your mitochondria and blood-brain barrier. But I also like magnesium malate, magnesium citrate and magnesium ion from molecular hydrogen because each tablet has 80 mg of elemental magnesium.

Eat more magnesium-rich foods

Last but not least, although you may still need a magnesium supplement (due to denatured soil), it is certainly wise to try to get as much magnesium from your diet as possible. the better. Dark green leafy vegetables top the table when it comes to magnesium content, and juicing your greens is a great way to increase your intake. Foods high in magnesium include:²³

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