Stay Active & Live Well

“Magnesium deficiency has proved capable of impairing exercise capacity and reducing physical performance. It is also associated with an increased inflammatory state, muscle cell alterations attributable to increased oxidative stress, and impaired intracellular calcium homeostasis. All these factors negatively affect muscle mass and function and could exacerbate the sarcopenia typical of old age.”

These are the comments made by Nicola Veronese, one of the authors of a study just released in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  The authors showed that magnesium supplementation in  healthy older women significantly improved physical performance. In this study sixty-two women aged 65 and older were given 300 milligrams (mg) magnesium per day and 77 were given a placebo for twelve weeks. The women who received the magnesium performed significantly better in a number of strength and endurance measures, including walking speed.