bone disease

In one study, researchers studied the diet of more than 3,000 women over 10 years and found that those who consumed 1,200 milligrams of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D a day through food had up to a 40 percent less chance of experiencing PMS. And it appears that choosing the low-fat versions of high-calcium foods made a difference. Women who drank 2 per­cent milk or lower had fewer symptoms than women who drank whole milk.

Calcium Food Source

This study didn’t find a benefit from calcium supplements, but another study by researchers at Columbia University in New York City did. They found that women who supplemented 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day reported a 48 percent decline in PMS symptoms.

It isn’t clear exactly why calcium relieves PMS, but researchers suspect that it eases the muscular contractions that lead to cramping.

And those aren’t the only studies to find a connection between cal­cium and PMS. A small

Daily Calcium Graph

study at the USDA Grand Forks Human Nutri­tion Research Center in North Dakota found an intriguing connection between a diet low in both calcium and the trace mineral manganese and PMS. Women who experienced PMS on a low-calcium, low-manganese diet had fewer symptoms when their diet was supplemented with the two minerals.

What’s interesting is that the diet that produced the worst premenstrual symptoms is actually closest to the way most American women eat. Studies show that most women get about 587 milligrams of calcium a day, nowhere near the 1,000 milligrams they’re supposed to get to build healthy bones and prevent osteoporosis.

The presence of higher magnesium levels seems to correlate with fewer asthma symptoms. In a 2001 cross-sectional study of over 2,500 adults, conducted at the University of Nottingham in England, people who got at least 100 milligrams a day of dietary magnesium had a reduction in airway hyperactivity and reported less wheezing than those who took in less than 100 milligrams a day.

This essential mineral is important for every organ in the body. It’s inti­mately involved in the production of energy and helps regulate levels of vital nutrients. It also has a potential special relevance to asthma sufferers. Large doses of magnesium relax the muscles around blood vessels and airways. Intravenous magnesium is helpful for a person having a life-threatening asthma attack called status asthmatics, which does not respond to the usual drugs.

A more comfortable way to administer the appropriate dose of magne­sium may be on the horizon. Researchers administered magnesium lozenges to patients in need of asthma rescue. The throat lozenges, which were formulated with a strong solution of 100 milligrams of a magnesium chloride that releases concentrated ions, pre­vented and even ended asthma attacks almost immediately and produced a more rapid and stronger response than inhaled or injected magnesium.

The researchers suggest that the promising results of this study warrant further investigations. However,

Magnesium Food Source

recent clinical trials have yet to show that taking a magnesium supplement produces significant results, says doctor. Until more studies confirm that magnesium can help control asthma, researchers agree that it’s a good idea to get the Daily Value of magnesium, which is 400 milligrams. Studies show that most people fall short.

Your best choices of magnesium-rich foods are nuts, beans, and whole grains. If you are considering trying magnesium supplements, be sure to check with your doctor first if you have heart or kidney problems.