Poor Magnesium Status May Be Related To Metabolic

Poor Magnesium Status May Be Related To Metabolic Syndrome
Nov 2010
Inadequate magnesium status is related to factors involved with metabolic syndrome, a risk factor for heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. In a recent study, lower magnesium levels correlated with an increased number of metabolic syndrome risk factors.

Metabolic syndrome has been defined as the presence of abdominal obesity combined with two of the following factors: hypertension, dyslipidemia, impaired glucose tolerance, or diabetes mellitus. Magnesium is an essential cofactor for more than 300 enzymes involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.

In a recent study, researchers enrolled 117 overweight and obese patients and measured serum magnesium levels together with fasting serum glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), and triacylglycerols. Researchers found a strong inverse relationship between serum magnesium levels and the presence of metabolic syndrome. In addition, as the level of serum magnesium decreased, the number of factors relating to metabolic syndrome increased. There was also an inverse relationship between serum magnesium levels and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation).

The study authors concluded that decreased levels of serum magnesium are associated with increased risk for metabolic syndrome, possibly due to a low-grade inflammatory process.

Source:Evangelopoulos A, et al. 2008. Nutrition Research 28(10):659-63.

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Natural Medicine – A Cost Effective Way to Improve Health

Australians spend over $3.5 billion each year on complementary medicines and therapies, most commonly to assist in the management of chronic disease and improve health and wellbeing. Over the last twenty years, there has been a growing body of scientific knowledge on the efficacy of complementary medicine. A recent research study by Access Economics demonstrates the potential role that complementary medicines can play in improving the health of Australians in a cost-effective manner.

Research partnerships have increasingly focused on high burden of disease areas where mainstream medicine has yielded relatively poor results, particularly in the prevention and management of chronic disease, and towards enhanced results using a combination of complementary and mainstream interventions.

In 2009, the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) commissioned Access Economics to undertake a series of cost effectiveness studies of selected complementary medicine interventions where a reasonable body of evidence for safety and efficacy was available. These were:


Acupuncture for chronic low back pain;
St John’s wort for mild to moderate depression;
Omega-3 fish oils for secondary prevention of heart disease;
Omega-3 fish oils to reduce non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use in rheumatoid
arthritis; and
A proprietary herbal medicine for pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis.
The study report provided evidence that selected complementary medicine interventions represent cost effective treatment options for specific medical conditions.

Acupuncture for chronic low back pain was found to be cost effective if used as a complement to standard care such as medication, physiotherapy, exercises, and education. Acupuncture alone as an alternative to standard care provided a significant improvement in pain reduction for a short period. When comorbidity depression commonly associated with back pain was also taken into consideration, the benefits for both pain and depression were significantly greater than standard care alone.

Based on analyses of recent clinical trials, St John’s wort was determined to be cost effective compared to standard anti-depressants for patients with mild to moderate (not severe) depression.

Dietary interventions are commonly suggested by GPs following a heart attack. Where dietary changes cannot be made (or sustained) there is a clear role for the use of dietary supplements to provide the necessary dietary intake of EPA and DHA. Fish oils rich in omega-3 fatty acids are highly cost effective when used as an adjunctive treatment in people with a history of coronary heart disease, achieving reduced death and morbidity. These findings are consistent with other international studies.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful and often very serious inflammatory condition, characterised by pain, joint stiffness, loss of joint function and swelling. The whole body is affected, with inflammation causing an increase in risk of cardiovascular events and mortality. This study showed that there was a gain in quality of life through use of fish oils, however, was not cost effective in reducing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use in rheumatoid arthritis. The improvement in quality of life was achieved at a higher cost per DALY (disability adjusted life year) avoided than PBS-subsidized medications.

It should be noted that only direct health costs are included in the study analyses. Indirect costs (such as loss of productivity at work and cost for treating comorbidities) have been excluded. Cost savings would be expected to be higher if indirect costs were included in the analyses.

Source:Access Economics P/L for NICM. Cost effectiveness of complementary medicines. August 2010: www.accesseconomics.com.au/publicationsreports/getreport.php?report=248&id=317, accessed 26 Oct 2010.

Disclaimer: The information provided in the article is strictly educational. It may not be used to promote USANA products, nor is it intended as medical advice. For diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions, please consult your health care professional. This information may be copied and freely distributed only if all text remains intact and unchanged.