If you’re eating plenty of leafy greens, dark chocolate, nuts, and beans, you’re probably doing well. But if your diet is lacking in these, you might want to pay attention to this eye-opening new study that links mineral deficiencies to DNA changes.
The study, led by researchers at the University of South Australia (UniSA), examined blood samples from 172 middle-aged adults and found those with low magnesium also had high levels of an amino acid called homocysteine, which is considered genotoxic, meaning it can damage human DNA.
On the other hand, the study found a positive association between high magnesium levels and folate and vitamin B12 levels.
“Our study showed a direct association between low blood magnesium levels (less than 18 mg/L) and increased DNA damage, even after adjusting for sex and age,” says UniSA molecular biologist Dr. Permal Deo, co-author of the study.
“Blood levels of magnesium, homocysteine (Hcy), folate and vitamin B12 were measured and showed an inverse correlation between magnesium and Hcy and a positive correlation between magnesium, folate and vitamin B12,” he adds. “This suggests that sufficiently high levels of magnesium in the blood are necessary to protect our genes from the toxicity caused by increased homocysteine in folate and vitamin B12 deficiency.”
According to researchers, the toxic combination of low magnesium and high homocysteine levels can increase the likelihood of developing gastrointestinal diseases, various types of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
The research team believes that the harmful consequences of low magnesium are due to the fact that it can impair the body’s ability to produce energy and power cells, which can lead to faster tissue ageing. Magnesium, the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body, has previously been linked to healthy synthesis of DNA and RNA. However, the researchers say that a deficiency of the mineral has not yet been fully studied in terms of damaging these genetic carriers.
In addition to its effects on DNA, magnesium has been identified as a co-factor in more than 300 enzyme systems in the body, including those that regulate blood pressure, control blood sugar levels and ensure proper nerve function. Another study in Australia last year also linked adequate levels of the mineral to larger brain volumes.
While researchers aim to determine the optimal dietary intake of magnesium in future studies, Deo says a low daily intake is anything under 300 mg per day. Meanwhile, the FDA recommends that adults through age 31 get 420 mg per day. That’s an amount that’s fairly easy to get through supplements or diet. For example, one ounce of roasted pumpkin seeds provides 156 mg of magnesium, one ounce of chia seeds has 111 mg of the mineral, and one ounce of almonds has 80 mg. Spinach, cashews, peanuts, and soy milk are also good sources.
The study was published in the journal: European Journal of Nutrition.
Source: University of South Australia