Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Magnesium may protect against colorectal cancer

High levels of dietary magnesium may help protect women from developing colorectal cancer, shows a Swedish study.

Using a population-based prospective cohort of 61,433 women, researchers at the Karolinska Institute found that women with the highest intakes of the mineral had a 40 per cent lower risk of developing the disease than those with the lowest intakes.

"This population-based prospective study suggests that a high magnesium intake may reduce the occurrence of colorectal cancer in women,” conclude Susanna Larsson and colleagues in the 5 January issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (293, pp86-89).

The findings are significant as researchers have recently identified a deficiency of the mineral in European populations.

Approximately 150,000 people in the US are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year. The cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death, and the risk of contracting it increases with age.

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