Ion Health Newsletter

April 6, 2010 - Volume 9, No.4

Junk Food-Diet: A Recipe for Depression?

A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry links a junk foodbased diet and an increased risk of depressive symptoms in individuals.

The analysis was based on 3,486 men and women (average age: 55) who were followed for five years. Those people (who five years previously) reported eating a diet consisting of whole foods were found to have fewer signs of depression. On the other hand, those who reported eating a diet rich in processed foods (fried food, processed meats, high-fat dairy) were more likely to report depressive symptoms. Furthermore, consuming healthy foods may protect one against depression. Dr. David Thomas, DC, MRI’s exclusive distributor for the U.K., has extensively documented the steady decline in minerals and micronutrients including magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron and copper in fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products. According to Thomas, deficiencies of micronutrients have been implicated in a number of disorders including depression, anxiety, etc. “The lack of micronutrients affect different people in different ways.

Consequently, the manner in which micronutrient deficiency affects people is partly dependant on their genetic heritage. Hence, a magnesium deficiency could affect someone as a headache, migraine, cramp, high blood pressure etc, but equally may manifest (in the context of mental illness) as nervousness, irritability, depression, confusion, insomnia, ADHD, apathy, etc. Dr. Thomas has written an article called, “Mental Health and Mineral Depletion,” which was published in “Nutrition and Mental Health: A Handbook.” If you are interested to read this article, please contact your MRI sales rep.

Magnesium May Reduce Colon Cancer Risk

Men who consumed at least 327 milligrams (mg)/ day of magnesium were able to reduce the risk of colon cancer nearly 52 percent compared to those whose intakes were less than 238 mg/ day, according to findings published in the Journal of Nutrition. Japanese researchers recruited 87,117 men and women with an average age of 57 and followed them for eight years. Dietary intakes were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Average intakes of magnesium for men and women were 284 and 279 milligrams per day.

During the course of the study, 689 and 440 cases of colorectal cancer were documented. Men with the highest average intakes of magnesium (at least 327 mg/d) were associated with a 52 per cent lower risk of colon, but not rectal cancer, compared to men who consumed the lowest average intakes. In the report, researchers reported that no benefits were observed in women. However, a 1995 study studying magnesium intake and colon cancer in women, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that, “…a high magnesium intake may reduce the occurrence of colorectal cancer in women.” (Sources:Ma E., Sasazuki S., Inoue M., Iwasaki M., Sawada N., Takachi R., Tsugane S. High Dietary Intake of Magnesium May Decrease Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Japanese Men. Nutrition. 2010 ,140:779-85.; Larsson SC, Bergkvist, Wolk A. Magnesium Intake in Relation to the Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Women JAMA 2005 293:86-89 )