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Magnesium supplementation may prevent memory loss

Category: General Health

Recent laboratory testing suggests that increased levels of magnesium may improve learning and memory, and that inadequate levels of the compound may lead to impaired cognitive function in older adults.

Researchers at the Center for Learning and Memory at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, developed a new compound capable of increasing magnesium in the brain via dietary supplementation.

After testing the compound, known as magnesium-L-threonate (MgT), on lab rats, scientists found that it led to improved behavioral and cellular changes associated with memory.

"We found that elevation of brain magnesium led to significant enhancement of spatial and associative memory in both young and aged rats," said Liu.

"If MgT is shown to be safe and effective in humans, these results may have a significant impact on public health," he added.

The researchers discovered that magnesium intake increased the quality of connections between neurons and augmented the density of synapses in the part of the brain associated with memory and learning, according to Emaxhealth.com.

Authors of the study noted that control rats were given a diet containing typical amounts of the nutrient and that all observable effects were associated with levels higher than those provided by a normal diet.