Magnesium for Gallstones

  A diet with healthy levels of magnesium may help prevent the formation of gallstones in men, a new study reports.

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is essential to good health. Approximately 50 percent of total body magnesium is found in the bones and the other half is found predominantly inside cells of body tissues and organs. While only one percent of magnesium is found in the blood, the body works hard to maintain blood levels of magnesium.

Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body; it helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, keeps bones strong, helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure and is involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis.

Dietary sources of magnesium include green vegetables, such as spinach, some legumes (beans and peas), nuts, seeds and whole, unrefined grains. Tap water may also be a source of magnesium, but the amount varies according to the water supply.

Recommendations for magnesium are provided in the Dietary Reference Intakes developed by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. For a list of the recommended Dietary Reference Intakes, please visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Information Center Web site.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements, data from the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey suggest that substantial numbers of adults in the United States fail to consume recommended amounts of magnesium. Among adult men and women, Caucasians consume significantly more magnesium than African-Americans. Magnesium intake is lower among older adults in every racial and ethnic group. African-American men and Caucasian men and women who take dietary supplements consume significantly more magnesium than those who do not.

Researchers from the University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, and Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, explained that magnesium deficiency may cause dyslipidemia and insulin hypersecretion, which may facilitate gallstone formation.

They noted that low magnesium consumption has been associated with high fasting insulin concentrations. Chronic hypersecretion of insulin, a feature of insulin resistance, may increase the cholesterol saturation index in the bile, and thus may facilitate gallstone formation. Dyslipidemia is excess levels of blood lipids such as cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins, triglycerides, etc. and is often associated with the occurrence of diabetes and accompanied by high blood pressure.

The study examined the relationship between magnesium consumption and the risk of gallstone disease in a cohort of 42,705 U.S. men from 1986 to 2002. Magnesium consumption was assessed using a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Newly diagnosed gallstone disease was ascertained every two years.

Researchers documented 2,195 incident cases of symptomatic gallstones during 560,810 person-years of follow-up. The average intake of magnesium was calculated to 352.8 milligrams per day for the study population.

After adjusting the results to account for age differences, the researchers calculated that men with the highest levels of magnesium intake (454 milligrams/day) were 28 percent less likely to develop gallstones compared to men with the lowest average intake (262 milligrams/day).

The study authors concluded that magnesium consumption may have a protective role in the prevention of symptomatic gallstone disease among men.

Globe artichoke has good scientific evidence in the prevention of gallstones. For more information on this and other possible integrative therapies studied for the prevention or treatment of gallstones, please visit Natural Standard's Comparative Effectiveness database.

 

Comments

[QH]

Magnesium has been found to be useful for many other conditions and diseases, such as migraine headaches, kidney stones, diabetes, PMS, constipation and asthma. However, it is still not clearly understood how magnesium works or helps in these conditions.

[Scott]

Certain disease states and conditions have been associated with a deficiency of magnesium. These include mitral valve prolapse, migraines, attention deficit disorder, fibromyalgia, asthma and allergies. This may be promising for people with fibromyalgia because there is only one medication FDA approved for its treatment. Treatment with high doses of malic acid and magnesium may be beneficial to some patients.

[QH]

Is the efficacy of dietary magnesium from foods, such as green leafy vegetables (spinach) and legumes, the same as magnesium in supplements in the prevention of gallstones? Are there studies that compare the two?

[QH]

How does magnesium compare to other treatments/preventative measures for gallstones, such as globe artichoke, soy or SAMe? Is it preferred over the use of these other supplements according to studies and research?

[Diane]

QH – The study discussed here looked at both magnesium supplementation and men who increased their dietary magnesium consumption. The men who consumed dietary magnesium were 33% less likely to develop gallstones (this was the same as magnesium supplement). After adjusting for confounding factors, the relative risk was 32%. This could suggest that increasing dietary magnesium may be more beneficial than the magnesium supplements. However, the statistical significance for this was not measured and most likely insignificant.

[Sarah]

Globe artichoke has been studied for its choleretic effects in animal and in vitro studies. It has been shown to stimulate the secretion of bile from the gallbladder. However, it should be used cautiously if a patient has biliary/bile duct obstruction. Adverse effects are mild and usually include gastrointestinal symptoms.

[Julie]

According to NutritionData.com, the top 10 foods highest in Magnesium are:

1. Coffee, brewed, espresso, restaurant-prepared, decaffeinated
2. Coffee, brewed, espresso, restaurant-prepared
3. Mollusks, clam, mixed species, canned, liquid
4. Coffee, brewed from grounds, prepared with tap water, decaffeinated
5. Sauce, fish, ready-to-serve
6. Dock, raw
7. Dock, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt
8. Dock, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
9. Chard, swiss, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
10. Chard, swiss, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt

[Jen]

Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) of magnesium for adults older than 18 years of age are 400 mg/day for males and 310 mg/day for females. This number increases after the age of 30 to 420 mg/day for males and 320 mg/day for females.

[Liz]

A 1999 study in JAMA found that coffee may be associated with a decreased risk of gallstones. The prospective cohort study followed 46,000 men without a history of gallstones. The relative risk for patients who consumed 2-3 cups of regular coffee a day compared to those who did not drink coffee was 0.60. The relative risk was 0.55 for men consuming 4 or more cups of regular coffee. Based on this study, caffeine may have the ability to prevent symptomatic gallstone disease.

[Deb]

Liz - That is a very interesting study that may conflict with the one mentioned here. Coffee can actually cause a significant loss of magnesium. Several other causes of magnesium loss include alcoholism, burns, high levels of calcium or sodium and surgery.

[Jay Dubs]

You are absolutely right about the importance of magnesium. It is likely that anyone who supplements it will see subtle improvements in their health and wellbeing in many ways.

[CE]

The lowest average intake of magnesium for the men in this study was 262mg/day, and the recommended RDA, as posted by Jen, is at least 400mg/day depending on age. I think in order to demonstrate a protective effect, the researchers should have at least used the RDA as the lowest intake. Also, I would like to see a study examining magnesium levels, not dietary intake, to see if there is a correlation.

[Gallstone Treatment]

Nice post. You might want to check out www.gallstoneout.com if you're looking for a gallstone treatment.