Doctors Reveal the #1 Supplement to Reduce Dementia Risk — Best Life
Currently, about 500,000 Americans are diagnosed with dementia each year. Given that number is expected to soar to 1 million by 2060, finding ways to keep your brain healthy is more important than ever. And since there is no cure for dementia, prevention is your best bet when it comes to staving off cognitive decline.
Things like maintaining a healthy diet free of processed foods, staying active and social, and avoiding certain medications have all been shown to help lower your dementia risk. Now, studies show that upping your intake of this common supplement can also aid in keeping your brain healthy.
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Magnesium is proven to lower dementia risk.A study out of the Brain Lab at The Australian National University (ANU) says that adding magnesium to your diet can help lower dementia risk.
Published in the European Journal of Nutrition, the study looked at more than 6,000 healthy adults in the UK and found that those who consumed more than 550 milligrams of magnesium daily had a brain age about one year younger than those whose magnesium intake was around 350 milligrams a day.
“Our study shows a 41 percent increase in magnesium intake could lead to less age-related brain shrinkage, which is associated with better cognitive function and lower risk or delayed onset of dementia in later life,” researcher and lead author Khawlah Alateeq said in a press release. “This research highlights the potential benefits of a diet high in magnesium and the role it plays in promoting good brain health.”
Neuroscience researcher Dale Bredesen, MD, author of The New York Times bestseller The End of Alzheimer’s: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline, says this isn’t the first time magnesium’s brain-boosting benefits have been highlighted.
“What the study showed was reduced brain aging, associated with less brain atrophy and therefore likely less dementia,” he tells Best Life. “Earlier studies have also shown benefits of magnesium, which is why many take magnesium threonate.”
To his point, a recent study published in the journal Neural Regeneration Research found that magnesium-L-threonate—a specific form of magnesium supplement—”may reduce the clinical manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease through the microbiota-gut-brain axis in model mice, providing an experimental basis for the clinical treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.”
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How does magnesium improve brain health?In speaking with MedicalNewsToday about the Australian study, Kelly Johnson-Arbor, MD, medical toxicologist, co-medical director, and interim executive director at the National Capital Poison Center (who was not involved in the study), explained that magnesium’s anti-inflammatory properties could be behind the reduced dementia risk.
“As we age, we are likely to develop chronic medical conditions, such as kidney disease and vitamin D deficiency, that cause magnesium deficiency,” she said. “Because magnesium deficiency may lead to decreased cellular messaging and enhanced inflammation within the brain, some studies have suggested that magnesium may be involved in the development of dementia and other neurologic conditions.”
Another theory is that magnesium can help lower blood pressure and the chance of cardiovascular disease, both of which are dementia risk factors.
As Best Life previously reported, “Per a Feb. 2018 study published in Nutrients, evidence suggests that higher magnesium intake is associated with lower chances of developing cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and coronary heart disease. Some of the reasons they observed for this are improved glucose and insulin metabolism and antihypertensive and anti-inflammatory properties.”
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However, too much magnesium could backfire.Though there is mounting evidence to demonstrate the neuroprotective benefits of magnesium, additional research cautions that overdoing it on the mineral could have just the opposite effect.
According to a 2017 study published in the journal Neurology, both low and high levels of magnesium were associated with a 32 percent and 30 percent increased risk of dementia, respectively.
And a 2022 study published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia concluded that adults with low calcium who had a high intake of magnesium were at an increased risk for dementia.
RELATED: 5 Side Effects of Taking Too Much Magnesium.
Should you take magnesium supplements?“Getting nutrients through food is always better—more bioavailable, more physiological timing,” says Bredesen.
According to Cleveland Clinic, some foods with the highest concentrations of magnesium are:
“However, if you can’t get these through diet, then supplementation is the next best way to do it, and far better than being deficient,” notes Bredesen.
If you’re looking for a magnesium supplement, be aware that there are many forms on the market.
“Magnesium citrate is more common, better absorbed by the body, and tends to relieve constipation, while magnesium glycinate is the form more useful to aid in sleep, anxiety, and inflammation,” Nicole Avena, PhD, neuroscientist and nutrition expert, tells Best Life.
As for how much to take, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says most adult males should aim for between 400 and 420 mg per day, while females fall between 310 and 320 mg.
Of course, medical conditions, pregnancy, and other health factors can affect these recommended amounts, so always speak with your doctor before starting any new supplement or making changes to your diet.
This story has been updated to include additional entries, fact-checking, and copy-editing.
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