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Magnesium intake and incidence of stroke: Meta-analysis of cohort studies
Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases,
Nie ZL et al. – The present meta–analysis of prospective cohorts suggests that higher magnesium intake is associated with reduced risk of total and ischaemic stroke. However, well–designed randomised controlled trials are needed to draw a definitive conclusion.
Methods- Authors searched the PubMed and EMBASE databases for studies conducted from 1966 through August 2011.
- Prospective studies that provided relative risk (RR) estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between magnesium intake and the risk of total stroke incidence or mortality were included.
- Data were independently abstracted by two investigators using a standardised protocol.
- Study–specific risk estimates were combined by using a random effects model.
- A total of eight studies, with 8367 stroke cases among 304,551 participants, were included in the meta–analysis.
- The summary RR indicated a significant association between the highest magnesium intake and reduced risk of total stroke (summary RR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.82, 0.97); this dose–response analysis showed a borderline inverse association between magnesium intake and total stroke risk (an increment of 100 mg day–1; summary RR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.95, 1.00).
- Subgroup analyses suggested a significant inverse association between highest magnesium intake and the risk of ischaemic stroke (summary RR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.80, 0.98).
