Magnesium & Cognitive Health, by Carolyn Dean, MD, ND.

One of the top eight nutrients for protecting aging brains suggested by the Institute of Food Technologists and highlighted in its magazine, Food Technology is “magnesium”.
Unfortunately, most of the U.S. population is magnesium deficient and is not getting their Recommended Daily Allowance of this important mineral. This leaves many Americans at a greater risk for a host of serious brain related health issues including cognitive impairment, stroke with severe post-stroke complications, neurotoxin damage from vast numbers of chemicals in our air, food and water, seizure disorders, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

These conditions are the neurological equivalent of heart disease and are preventable. After all, both the heart and brain are made up of excitable tissues that give off electrical energy, and both must have magnesium to stay healthy and function properly.

Cognitive Impairment
Cognitive impairment is the loss of brain function including varying degrees of memory loss as we age. But this does not have to be a foregone conclusion.
A French study1 noted the risk factors of cognitive impairment and dementia in both men and women with the research involving almost 7,000 people aged 65 and older. At the beginning of the study none had dementia, though 42% had mild cognitive impairment. Over a four-year period, 6.5% of those with mild cognitive impairment developed dementia while 37% of those with mild cognitive impairment returned to normal.

Dementia Risk Factors for Women – Depression
Women who were dependent on others for daily tasks, increased their risk of developing dementia 3.5 times more than those who were independent. Depression also was a factor that affected women more than men. Women experiencing depression were 2 times as likely to progress from cognitive impairment to dementia.

Magnesium and Depression
Magnesium deficiency can produce symptoms of anxiety or depression, including muscle weakness, fatigue, eye twitches, insomnia, anorexia, apathy, apprehension, poor memory, confusion, anger, nervousness and rapid pulse. Serotonin, the “feel-good” brain chemical that is boosted by some medications which have harmful side-effects, depends on magnesium for its production and function. The body needs magnesium in order to release and bind adequate amounts of serotonin in the brain for balanced mental functioning.

Dementia Risk Factors for Men – Diabetes and Stroke
The men in the study with mild cognitive impairment were more likely to be overweight, have diabetes and/or have had a stroke. The stroke was the most significant risk factor in men, increasing the chances of dementia 3 times. Independence, social network and depression did not come up as risk factors for men....
learn more: http://www.nutritionalmagnesium.org/magnesium-and-cognitive-health/