Magnesium and Stroke Prevention: What the Research Shows

Magnesium, a mineral found in the bones, tissue and organs of the body, is essential to normal heart, nerve and muscle function. Magnesium may help to prevent a stroke; research is ongoing to determine the effectiveness of magnesium for stroke patients.

Stroke

• A stroke is caused when blood flow to the brain is blocked either by a blood clot, referred to as an ischemic stroke, or a burst blood vessel, known as a hemorrhagic stroke. A stroke can cause impaired speech, memory loss, paralysis and death.

Considerations

• According to a study published in 2004 in the journal "Lancet," magnesium given to a stroke patient within 12 hours of the stroke does not significantly increase the chances of survival.

Prevention

• Research conducted by a team from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, and published in the journal "Circulation" in 1998 found that a diet high in magnesium may reduce the risk of stroke.

Risk

• According to a study published in 2009 in the "American Journal of Epidemiology," low levels of magnesium may represent an increased risk of ischemic stroke.

Research

• In early 2010, ClinicalTrials.gov information stated that research sponsored by Relox Medical LLC will be conducted to further determine the effect of giving intravenous magnesium chloride to stroke patients.