Gallstones - Does Magnesium Help Prevent Gallstones?
Here is a summary of an article I recently wrote and submitted for publishing. The article highlights some important findings in the role magnesium plays in the prevention of gallstone disease. I hope you find it helpful.
Approximately 20 million people in the US, according to the US National Institutes of Health, suffer from gallstones and every year another one million new cases are diagnosed. Gall stone disease is a major cause of death in developed countries and is often a precursor to gall bladder cancer.
According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology ("Long-Term Effect of Magnesium Consumption on the Risk of Symptomatic Gallstone Disease Among Men" - Authors: C. J. Tsai, M.F. Leitzmann, W.C. Willett, E.L. Giovannucci) high intake of magnesium appeared to reduce the risk of gallstones in males by 28%. This study in which 42,705 American males took part observed that the risk of gallstones disease was reduced in participants who consumed higher amounts of magnesium. "In this large cohort study, we observe that a high consumption of magnesium was associated with a reduced risk of gallstones disease and the dose-response relationship that was not accounted for by other potential risk factors including other measured dietary variables," quoted Chung-Jyi from the University of Kentucky Medical Centre who conducted the study in conjunction with Brigham and women’s Hospital, Harvard School of public health, Harvard Medical School and the National Cancer Institute.
The study group had an average age of 52.6 years and an average in BMI of 24.8 and took part in the survey for an average of 13 years. Over this period of time the average magnesium intake for the study group was 352 mg per day.
The researchers calculated that those men who consumed 454 mg of magnesium per day, the highest magnesium intake in the group, had a 28% less risk of developing gallstones than those in the group who consumed the lowest intake (262 mg per day). The risk of developing when the magnesium was obtained from foods such as milk, grains, nuts, meets and green leafy vegetables was found to decrease even more, by some 32%
.In their report Tsia and the other researchers concluded that their "findings suggest a protective role of magnesium consumption in the prevention of symptomatic gall stone disease among men."
Although magnesium appears to have a highly beneficial effect in reducing gallstone development the report did not determine whether magnesium helps prevent the formation of gallstones or decreases the chances of gallstones forming in the first place.
The RDA for magnesium is 420 mg per day for men and 320 mg per day for women. Past surveys have shown that the majority of adults do not meet even the RDA for magnesium.Apart from reducing the risk of gallstones there are many other benefits in taking magnesium. It is important in heart health by helping to stabilise the heart’s rhythm as well as helping to maintain safe blood pressure levels and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. It’s beneficial in relieving muscle stiffness and helps to keep muscles relaxed. Magnesium can assist in lowering the risk of osteoporosis as it helps the body absorb calcium which means it aids in the formation of teeth and bones.
It appears that the benefits of increasing one’s dietary magnesium intake far outweigh the possible detrimental effects of not consuming enough. It just makes common sense to do so.
Source: The American Journal of Gastroenterology (Blackwell Publishing)February 2008, Volume 103, Issue 2, Pages 375-382, doi:10.1111/j.1572-0241.2007.01696.xI hope you found this information helpful. For me personally, it opened my eyes not only about why magnesium is important in the prevention of gallstones but also to it’s many other health benefits. For more information on the gallbladder and gallstones visit http://www.gallbladdersite.com. Please pass this article on to anyone you think may benefit from it.
Kerry
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