Magnesium levels vital to brain health in aging

Supplementing the diet with magnesium, via magnesium threonate, helps maintain brain synapses in mice bred to mimic Alzheimer's, a researcher in China says. Dr. Guosong Liu, director of the Center for Learning and Memory at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said scientists say one reason for cognitive impairment as people age may be due to the human brain shrinking after age 25. Structural changes and loss of brain synapses lead to rapid decline in cognitive health, he says. However, "the body of our peer-reviewed and published work underscores that magnesium threonate can help maintain healthy brain activity," Liu said in a statement. "There is no doubt that magnesium threonate has dramatic effects in preventing synapse loss and reversing memory decline in mice with Alzheimer's disease. A recently concluded double blind, placebo-controlled human study, demonstrated dietary supplementation of Magtein -- patented magnesium threonate -- could significantly enhance human cognitive functions and decrease symptoms of cognitive impairments."