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Magnesium Inversely Linked to Risk for Coronary Heart Disease

Increase in dietary magnesium associated with reduced risk for fatal CHD in postmenopausal women

FRIDAY, Dec. 27, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For postmenopausal women, dietary magnesium is inversely associated with fatal coronary heart disease (CHD), according to a study published online Dec. 12 in the Journal of Women’s Health.

Jason Li, D.O., from the Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and colleagues examined 153,569 postmenopausal women to assess the associations between dietary magnesium intake and fatal CHD and sudden cardiac death (SCD). A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess magnesium intake at baseline.

The researchers observed a statistically significant risk reduction for fatal CHD (hazard ratio, 0.93; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.89 to 0.97) for every standard-deviation increase in magnesium intake after adjustment for confounders; the risk reduction for SCD did not reach statistical significance (hazard ratio, 0.82; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.58 to 1.15). The greatest risk for fatal CHD and SCD was seen for women with the lowest magnesium intake (189 mg/day) in an age-adjusted quartile analysis (hazard ratios, 1.54 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.40 to 1.69] and 1.70 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.94 to 3.07], respectively). In the fully adjusted model, the associations were attenuated but remained significant for CHD (hazard ratio, 1.19; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.06 to 1.34).

“Future studies should confirm this association and consider dietary trials of foods rich in magnesium (e.g., fruits and vegetables) and magnesium supplementation in the general or at-risk populations,” the authors write.

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