Thursday, January 7, 2016

High magnesium intakes reduce cardiovascular and cancer mortality risk

High magnesium intakes reduce cardiovascular and cancer mortality risk

At a Glance
In a newly published study of adults at high risk for heart disease, magnesium intake was inversely associated with cardiovascular, cancer and all-cause mortality.
Read more about this research below. 
Previous research has shown that magnesium plays a role in normal blood pressure, helps inhibit platelet aggregation, modulates inflammation, and is important for normal vascular health. In a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers sought to assess the association between magnesium intake and cardiovascular (CVD) and mortality risk in a Mediterranean population at high risk of heart disease.
The study included 7,216 men and women aged 55-80 years that were at high risk of CVD. Participants were randomly assigned to Mediterranean diets supplemented with nuts or olive oil or a control low-fat diet.
After an average follow-up time of about 5 years, there were 323 total deaths documented. Of those, there were 81 deaths from cardiovascular disease (stroke, heart attack, heart disease), and 130 deaths from cancer.
Compared to lower consumers (average 312 mg/day), the subjects in the highest third of intake (average 442 mg/day) had a 59% reduced risk of death from CVD, a 37% decreased risk of death from cancer, and a 34% reduction in all-cause mortality.
In this study of Mediterranean adults, high intakes of magnesium in the diet reduced overall mortality, and deaths from cardiovascular disease and cancer. It is estimated that only about 20-30% of U.S. adults are currently meeting the recommended intake of magnesium in their diets.
Marta Guasch-Ferré et al. Dietary Magnesium Intake Is Inversely Associated with Mortality in Adults at High Cardiovascular Risk. First published November 20, 2013, doi: 10.3945/​jn.113.183012.

The effects of high-intensity exercise on neural responses to images of food

January 6, 2015
The effects of high-intensity exercise on neural responses to images of food - The Weekly Essentials of Health from Usana Health Sciences
At a Glance
Research shows that high intensity exercise increases neural responses in reward-related regions of the brain in response to images of low-calorie foods and suppresses activation during the viewing of high-calorie foods.
Read more about this research below.
Short bouts of intense exercise are known to suppress hunger through appetite regulating hormones. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers aimed to determine the effects of high-intensity exercise on central (brain) response to visual food stimuli.
The study included 15 healthy men of normal weight that completed two 60 minute trials: exercise (running at 70% maximum aerobic capacity) and a resting control trial. After each trial, images of high- and low- calorie foods were viewed and the brain response to the foods was measured using an MRI.
After the bout of exercise, thirst and core body temperature were increased while appetite response was significantly suppressed. Exercise significantly suppressed ghrelin (an appetite stimulating hormone) and enhanced the release of peptide YY (an appetite reducing hormone). When compared to the resting control, neural (brain) response in the brain’s reward related regions were stimulated in response to viewing the images of low-calorie foods but suppressed upon viewing images of high-calorie foods.
This study shows that high intensity exercise increases neural responses in reward-related regions of the brain in response to images of low-calorie foods and suppresses activation during the viewing of high-calorie foods. These central responses are associated with exercise-induced changes in peripheral signals related to appetite-regulation and hydration status.
Daniel R Crabtree et al. The effects of high-intensity exercise on neural responses to images of food. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Feb;99(2):258-67