Magnesium-Rich Diet Lowers Stroke Risk

What’s interesting about this research is that it was conducted by observing total dietary intake of magnesium, not magnesium as an isolated supplement, which means that while it is suspected that the magnesium content of the foods was the responsible agent, this cannot be totally proven. The diets of the people with lower stroke risk were whole-foods based and high in dark leafy greens. Since there are hundreds of phytochemicals in each plant food, it could be that other nutrients or phytochemicals support magnesium’s cardiovascular protective role in this case, or, that the phytochemicals are really what is responsible and the magnesium is just a present co-factor. The take home message here is to eat lots of dark leafy greens such as kale, collard greens, and chard, and in general a diet based on fiber rich plant-based foods.