Does Magnesium Help You Live Longer?
A recent study is highlighting the benefits of magnesium once again – not for migraine, but for long life in general.
The benefits of magnesium for migraine patients are now well-known. I have heard from many people who have found significant relief after starting on a magnesium supplement.
Of course it’s not always that simple. Some patients, for various reasons, may have lower magnesium levels than others. Getting tested will give you an idea where you’re at.
But this recent study, published in the journal Atherosclerosis (in case you don’t know, atherosclerosis refers to plaque build up in the arteries), links magnesium with cardiovascular conditions. As you may know, stroke and heart attack and various other related issues have been linked to migraine – migraine is often considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
This particular study found that people with lower levels of magnesium (below 0.73 mmol/l – see more about magnesium testing here) were more likely to die from cardiovascular issues. The researchers even adjusted for other common risk factors, in case these people also happened to have other related conditions that would explain the higher death rate. Even after the adjustments, the lower magnesium was still linked to the higher death rate.
But more than that – low magnesium was also linked to “all-cause mortality”. In other words, during the specified length of time (10.1 years), those with lower magnesium levels were significantly more likely in general to die.
This study tells us very little about why this may be – a number of factors may be involved. But if people with migraine are more likely to have lower magnesium levels, and be more likely to benefit from more magnesium, and are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease – well, it’s just another reason to make sure your magnesium levels are where they should be, and consider a supplement.
An interesting side note. We’ve been talking a lot about vitamin D lately, and especially about our need to get out into the sunshine. Low vitamin D is also linked to cardiovascular problems (see this article from Johns Hopkins for a summary – Do lower vitamin D levels mean higher risk for cardiovascular disease?). And, vitamin D is also important for magnesium absorption. Magnesium is also needed for vitamin D to be properly used in your body (see Role of Magnesium in Vitamin D Activation and Function).
Of course we could go on and on about what’s related to what – the body is a pretty complex system! But in research we often see certain patterns emerging that can point us in the right direction. And there is more and more evidence that migraineurs need to pay attention to their magnesium levels, and also their vitamin D. For various reasons, these days people often have low levels of one or both – whether it be from a “typical modern diet” or too much time indoors.
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