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Low magnesium linked to diabetic retinopathyExercise Outweighs Genetics When It Comes To Longer LifeGuarana found to have higher antioxidant potential than green teaStudy links caesareans and cardiovascular riskBlack tea drinkers live longerUnhealthy diet during pregnancy could be linked to ADHD

Low magnesium linked to diabetic retinopathySoochow University (China), August 26 2022. 

A study reported August 22, 2022, in Biological Trace Element Research found an association between low magnesium and a higher risk of diabetic retinopathy, a major visual complication of long-term diabetes.

“Low magnesium consumption has been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetic mellitus,” authors Yuan Chen of Soochow University in China and colleagues noted.

The body’s tight regulation of serum magnesium makes it a poor measure of total body magnesium status. Plasma magnesium also poorly reflects the body’s true magnesium status because of the kidneys’ reabsorption of the mineral. “The magnesium depletion score (MDS) index was recently proposed as a method of measuring magnesium shortage that took into consideration the pathophysiological factors influencing the kidneys’ reabsorption capability and was proven to be more sensitive and reliable than other clinical predictors of magnesium,” Chen and associates wrote.

The study utilized data obtained from 4,308 men and women enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2018. Diabetes was present in 10.7% of the participants. Dietary questionnaire responses were used to estimate the amount of magnesium consumed each day. 

Greater magnesium intake and lower magnesium depletion scores were associated with a decreased risk of diabetic retinopathy. A high amount of magnesium intake was associated with a reduced risk of diabetic retinopathy when the magnesium depletion score was at a middle level or lower.

“Our research indicates that magnesium deficiency predicts a higher risk of diabetic retinopathy in diabetic individuals and that magnesium supplementation may reduce the risk of diabetic retinopathy,” they concluded.

 

 

Exercise Outweighs Genetics When It Comes To Longer LifeUniversity of California at San Diego, August 26, 2022

If living into your 90s seems to run in the family, don’t just assume that means you will too. Our genetics make us who we are, but new research from the University of California, San Diego finds exercise trumps genes when it comes to promoting a longer life.

You don’t need a medical degree to know that forgoing physical activity in favor of stagnation isn’t the wisest choice for your health and longevity. But, certain people are genetically predisposed to live longer than others. The research team at UCSD set out to determine if such individuals don’t have to move quite as much as the rest of us to live just as long.

This research project began a decade ago. In 2012, as part of the Women’s Health Initiative Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health study (OPACH), study authors began keeping track of the physical activity habits among 5,446 older U.S. women (ages 63 or older). Subjects were tracked up until 2020, and wore a research-grade accelerometer for up to seven days. That device measured how much time they spent moving, the intensity of that physical activity, and their usual amount of sedentary time.

Sure enough, higher levels of light physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were associated with a lower risk of dying during the tracking period. Additionally, more time spent sedentary was associated with a higher risk of mortality. Importantly, this observed connection between exercise and a longer life remained consistent even among women determined to have different levels of genetic predisposition for longevity.

“Our study showed that, even if you aren’t likely to live long based on your genes, you can still extend your lifespan by engaging in positive lifestyle behavi