More magnesium, less copper could benefit health

\"Jan Drew\" · medicine forum Guru Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 353

http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=67682-magnesium-copper-cancer

People with more magnesium and less copper in their blood could reduce their
risk of death from cancer by as much as 50 per cent, says a new study from
France.

High serum levels of the mineral were also linked to a 40 per cent lower
risk of all-cause mortality, and a reduction of similar magnitude for
cardiovascular deaths. High serum levels of both copper and zinc however
were associated with increased risk of death from all-causes.
The research is important because dietary surveys show that a large portion
of adults do not meet the RDA for magnesium, found naturally in green, leafy
vegetables, meats, starches, grains and nuts, and milk.

"It's the first epidemiological study which shows synergistic effects on
mortality of low serum zinc and high serum copper, as well as the effects of
low serum zinc and low serum magnesium and these interactions may be
physiopathologically plausible as these minerals are involved in the immune
system, the inflammatory response and the oxidative damage," lead author Dr
Nathalie Leone from the Pasteur Institute in Lille, INSERM Unit 744, told
NutraIngredients.com.

The research, published in the journal Epidemiology (Vol. 17, pp. 308-314),
reports from the Paris Prospective Study 2, a cohort of over 4,000 men aged
between 30 and 60 at the start of the study.

After 18 years of follow-up 339 subjects had died, with 176 due to cancer
and a further 56 from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Serum analysis of
magnesium, copper and zinc levels showed that highest serum level of
magnesium (0.85 millimoles per litre or more) compared to the lowest level
(0.76 millimoles per litre or less) was associated with a reduction in the
risk of all-cause mortality, death from cancer, and CVD of 40, 50 and 40 per
cent, respectively.

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