Indication: Colorectal cancer

Source: JAMA, January 5, 2005;293:86-89.

Research: Researchers believe that dietary magnesium may play a role in the prevention of colorectal cancer based on animal studies, but data in humans are lacking. To evaluate the hypothesis that a high magnesium intake may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, researchers evaluated a population-based cohort of 61,433 women.

Results: During a mean of 14.8 years of follow-up, 805 incident colorectal cancer cases were diagnosed. After adjustment for potential confounders, researchers observed an inverse association of magnesium intake with the risk of colorectal cancer. These findings are considered significant as a magnesium deficiency, particularly among women, was recently identified among European populations.