The Magnesium Cure

The mineral magnesium has amazing powers to treat and even prevent serious medical conditions.


New Findings: Magnesium is a key factor in memory and learning. Adequate levels may even prevent Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at MIT's Picower Center for Learning and Memory found that magnesium affects the synapses- connections between brain cells- by improving their plasticity, or ability to adapt to change, which declines with age. Most people don't get enough magnesium. An adult's daily nutritional requirement is 400 milligrams (mg), but a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the average intake is about 290 mg.

Here is how magnesium can help you with DIABETES.

We're in the midst of a diabetes epidemic-more than 18 million Americans have type 2 diabetes, a disorder of the blood sugar (glucose) metabolism. Another 41 million have insulin resistance, a pre-diabetic state characterized by higher than normal blood levels of glucose and insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke and can lead to kidney failure, eye problems, nerve damage and other dangerous conditions.

Magnesium enhances insulin secretion, which facilitates sugar metabolism. Without magnesium, insulin is not able to transfer glucose into cells. Glucose and insulin build up in the blood, causing various types of tissue damage.

Proof that it works: Researchers at Harvard tracked more than 120,000 men and women for 18 years. People getting the least dietary magnesium had a 23% higher risk of type 2 diabetes than people getting the most. In another study, people with insulin resistance took a placebo or 2.5 grams of magnesium daily (a high dose that should be taken only under a doctor's care). After 3 months, those taking the mineral had a 25% increase in blood levels of magnesium and a 44% decrease in insulin resistance. Those taking the placebo had no change in either.

Exerpt from BottomLine/Personal interview with Carolyn Dean MD, ND