Magnesium In The Prevention of Dis-Ease

A lack of magnesium accelerates aging or fermentation
of human cells, which may explain the link between
any long-term deficiency and a higher risk of
aging-related dis-eases, a study released Monday said.

Magnesium is essential for hundreds of biochemical
reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal
muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm
steady, and keeps bones strong.

Yet research has shown that, at least in the United
States, more than half the population is lacking in
magnesium due to deficiencies in their diet,
potentially increasing their risk of cardiovascular
disease, hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis and
many cancerous conditions.

To try to understand why magnesium deficiency
predisposes people to dis-ease, Bruce Ames and
researchers at Children's Hospital Oakland Research
Institute in California studied the long-term
effects of moderate magnesium deficiency on human
fibroblasts, cells that provide a structural
framework for many tissues in the body.

They cultured the cells for their entire lifespan,
a period of three to four months, to mimic the
effects of a lack of magnesium in the study which
appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences.

They found that while the cells survived and divided
normally under moderate magnesium-depleted conditions,
they appeared to become older quicker than cells grown
in normal magnesium concentrations.

"Magnesium deficiency affects the way the cells age.
Accelerated cellular aging affects the way tissue
functions," said David Killilea, an associate staff
scientist in the Nutrition and Metabolism Center at
Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute.

"We are now thinking that cellular consequences of
magnesium deficiency may be driving long-term chronic
disease."

Ames and Killilea suggested the markers of accelerated
cellular aging in magnesium-deficient cells may
indicate that the cells were in triage mode, saving
resources for indispensable metabolic processes at
the expense of long-term function.

As for diagnosing and treating chronic moderate
magnesium deficiency, there is no good laboratory
marker for this type of condition. It tends to fly
under the radar, the scientists said.

"You could be moderately deficient for a long time
and not know it," said Killilea.

Food sources rich in the micronutrient include
green vegetables and fruits such as spinach,
parsley, leafy greens, avocado, cucumber, nuts,
and seeds.

I would also suggest magnesium in the form of
magnesium carbonate and magnesium oxide.

You will find these two forms of magnesium in
pHour salts and pHlavor salts which help to
maintain the alkaline design of the body and
reduce dietary and metabolic acid.

http://www.phmiracleliving.com/phlush.htm
http://www.phmiracleliving.com/pHourSalts.htm