Magnesium Offers Protective Benefits Against Cerebrovascular Disease

by | Apr 5, 2022 | 2021, Brain Health, Cognitive Health, Magnesium, Minerals

Written by Taylor Woosley, Staff Writer. Research suggests that higher levels of magnesium provide potential neuroprotective properties against neurodegeneration and cerebrovascular damage, with elevated magnesium levels being associated with greater total brain volume and lower odds of subcortical and lacunar infarcts.

magnesium - mineralsNeurodegeneration, the progression of cognitive decline and death of neurons, results in the formation of neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia and cerebrovascular disease 1. Many factors can contribute to the onset of cognitive disorders, such as the influence of genetic susceptibilities, environmental risk factors, and age 2. Neuroscientists believe that chronic sustained inflammation plays a significant role in brain degeneration, leading to damage of the central nervous system, affecting DNA methylation and further increasing inflammatory responses in the brain 3. Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) often coexists with dementia-related disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease. Neuroimaging factors often noted in those with CVD include white matter hyperintensities, microbleeds, chronic lacunes, and perivascular spaces 4.

Although much research has focused on treating neurodegenerative disorders, significant progress needs to be made in order to offer effective methods of quelling or reversing the cognitive inflammation and damage. Prevention, through lifestyle changes and supplementation, is one way to combat and decrease chances of dementia-related conditions. Magnesium, a crucial divalent cation with over 300 cellular functions, has been studied for its potential therapeutic properties in neurological diseases 5. Besides cognitive disorders, magnesium deficits have been noted in a variety of human diseases, such as CVD, hypertension and stroke, cerebrovascular diseases, and diabetes 6. Magnesium is essential for the maintenance of human health and it plays a critical role in nerve transmission in the nervous system and has a protective ability against neuronal death 7. Furthermore, magnesium is crucial for neurological functions and low levels of circulating magnesium may potentiate glutamatergic neurotransmission, which can contribute to excitotoxicity, leading to elevated levels of oxidative stress.

Alam et. al analyzed data of 1466 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC)-Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS) to further explore the potential association between adequate magnesium levels and a lower occurrence of cerebrovascular disease. Subjects were included based on available data pertaining to circulating magnesium levels and brain imaging. Participants had their blood drawn and assessed, along with having MRI brain scans to monitor their progress at baseline, follow ups, and at their 5th visit. Brain volumes were determined from T1-weighted MP-RAGE sequences using the FreeSurfer system, while infarcts and white matter hyperintensity volumes were obtained from T2-weighted fluid attenuations inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences. Serum magnesium was measured using the xylidyl blue-I method with a Roche COBAS 6000 chemistry analyzer. Covariates such as sodium, calcium, and potassium levels, c-reactive protein, HDL, total cholesterol, BMI, medication usage, blood pressure, glucose levels, and cardiac conditions were all measured at baseline and at visit 5. Of the 1466 participants, the mean age was 76.2 years (28.8% black and 60.1% female).

After analyzing the data, the significant observations were as follows:

  • Higher serum magnesium was associated with greater total brain volume and higher volumes for most lobes at visit 5.
  • After adjusting for covariates, 1-standard deviation (0.08 mmol/L) higher serum magnesium was associated with 0.03 (occipital lobe volume) to 0.06 (total brain and parietal lobe volumes) higher volumes.
  • Examination of sex and race regarding magnesium interactions found consistent differences only in the parietal lobe for sex (p = 0.03, higher association in males) and in the frontal lobe for race (p = 0.02, higher association in Black participants).
  • High magnesium levels were associated with lower odds of subcortical infarcts (OR: 0.44, 95%CI: 0.25, 0.77 when comparing Q5 to Q1, OR: 0.77, 95%CI: 0.65, 0.91 per 1-standard deviation increase).
  • Additionally, elevated magnesium was associated with lower odds of lacunar infarcts (OR: 0.40, 95%CI: 0.22, 0.71 comparing Q5 to Q1; OR: 0.76, 95%CI: 0.64, 0.89 per 1-standard deviation increase).

Results support Alam et. al’s hypothesis that elevated circulated magnesium was associated with greater total brain volume, while providing protective effects against subcortical infarcts. Further research should explore the potential therapeutic effects magnesium may offer to those suffering from cerebrovascular and dementia-related disorders. Limitations of the study include the fact that certain measurements (serum magnesium, brain volumes, and brain lesions) had one-time measurements which makes it difficult to evaluate the associations between them, the lack of participants able to contribute to visit 5 of the study, and the possibility for additional factors not accounted for in the data models.

Source:  Alam, Aniqa B., DaNashia S. Thomas, Pamela L. Lutsey, Srishti Shrestha, and Alvaro Alonso. “Associations of Serum Magnesium with Brain Morphology and Subclinical Cerebrovascular Disease: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities-Neurocognitive Study.” Nutrients 13, no. 12 (2021): 4496.

© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

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Posted April 5, 2022.

Taylor Woosley studied biology at Purdue University before becoming a 2016 graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a major in Writing. She currently resides in Glen Ellyn, IL.

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