Magnesium linked to fewer Gallstones

Feb 26, 2008

According to a new study of 42,705 American men published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, people who consume the most magnesium have the lowest incidence of gallstones. After adjusting the results to account for age differences, the researchers calculated that men with the highest levels of magnesium intake (454 mg/d) were 28 per cent less likely to develop gallstones than men with the lowest average intake (262 mg/d). Dietary surveys have shown that most adults in the US do not get the RDA for magnesium (320 mg per day for women and 420 mg per day for men). That's why you need to be taking Peak Advantage High Potency Multi-Vita/Min. It contains 400mg of Magnesium Aspartate, the best absorbed and highest energy producing Magnesium available.

"In this large study, we observed that a higher consumption of magnesium was associated with a reduced risk of gallstone disease with a dose-response relationship that was not accounted for by other potential risk factors including other measured dietary variables," wrote lead author Chung-Jyi Tsai from the University of Kentucky Medical Center.

Gallstone disease is a major cause of illness in modern civilizations and a major risk factor of gallbladder cancer. According to the US National Institutes of Health, about 10-15% of the US population (26-38 million people) have gallstones and 1 million new cases are diagnosed every year.

"The exact mechanism of magnesium intake in preventing gallstone disease is not clear and can be multi factorial," wrote the authors. "Hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance are known to be positively associated with gallstone disease."

"Low magnesium consumption has been associated with high fasting insulin concentrations. Chronic hypersecretion of insulin, a feature of insulin resistance, may increase the cholesterol saturation index in the bile, and thus may facilitate gallstone formation," they added.

"In animal and clinical studies, a magnesium-deficient diet can elevate plasma triglycerides and decrease plasma HDL-cholesterol levels, and thus may increase the risk for gallstones."

"These results suggest that low magnesium intake predisposes to symptomatic gallstones," wrote Tsia and co-workers.

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.x
"Long-Term Effect of Magnesium Consumption on the Risk of Symp