Vitamins and Minerals Lower Risk of Mortality - Study Confirms

ORANGE, Calif., Oct. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In a recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine entitled "Dietary Supplements and Mortality Rate in Older Women," it was found that Vitamin B complex was associated with a 7 percent reduction in mortality, Vitamin C was associated with a 4 percent reduction in mortality, Vitamin D was associated with an 8 percent reduction in mortality, and Magnesium was associated with a 3 percent reduction in mortality, with a similar reduction rate associated with Selenium and Zinc.

According to Robert G. Smith, Research Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania, Department of Neuroscience, and member of the Institute for Neurological Sciences, "This study showed a benefit from taking B-complex, C, D, and E vitamins, and calcium and magnesium. Therefore, if those wanting better health would take appropriate doses of supplements regularly, they would likely continue to achieve better health and longer life."

Professor Smith adds that "iron and copper supplements, which are known to be potentially inflammatory and toxic when taken by older people, because they tend to accumulate in the body, should not be generalized to imply that all vitamin and nutrient supplements are harmful."

Noting that vitamins and minerals work with each other, Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, magnesium expert and medical director of the nonprofit Nutritional Magnesium Association, says, "Most people can benefit from magnesium supplementation because this vital mineral is sorely lacking in our standard American diet. Over 75 percent of Americans don't get their recommended daily allowance of this multi-tasking mineral. Additionally, many people may not be getting the full benefits from vitamin D without also supplementing their diets with magnesium, which is a vital nutrient that works synergistically with vitamin D.

"Adequate levels of magnesium in the body are essential for the absorption and metabolism of calcium as well," Dr. Dean states. "Magnesium converts vitamin D into its active form so that it can help calcium absorption. Magnesium stimulates a particular hormone, calcitonin, which helps to preserve bone structure and draws calcium out of the blood and soft tissues back into the bones, which can help prevent osteoporosis, some forms of arthritis and kidney stones."

The National Institutes of Health says, "Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. There is an increased interest in the role of magnesium in preventing and managing disorders such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes." Inadequate magnesium intake has also been associated with cancer, asthma, allergies, arthritis, osteoporosis, kidney stones, migraine headaches, menstrual cramps, PMS, cramps, and other conditions as well.

Safety Record of Dietary Supplements

A new analysis of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' annual report data indicates that there have, in fact, been no deaths whatsoever from vitamins - none at all - in the 27 years that such reports have been available, according to Jagan N. Vaman, MD.

Andrew W. Saul, PhD, in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine states, "Vitamin therapy is tens of thousands of times safer than drug therapy."

According to a 2010 study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control, in 2008 prescription painkillers like oxycodone and hydrocodone, the main ingredients in Oxycontin and Vicodin, landed 305,885 Americans in emergency rooms - more than double the 144,644 visits in 2004.

According to ABC News, drugs are now causing more deaths than motor vehicle accidents. Dr. Leonard Paulozzi, medical epidemiologist at the CDC's division of unintentional injury prevention, said prescription drugs were driving up the death toll.

"There has been a dramatic increase in use of prescription drugs as physicians have become more liberal in prescribing them," said Paulozzi, adding that the bulk of drug-related deaths stems from accidental opioid painkiller overdoses.

A free 32-page guide to the benefits of magnesium written by Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, is available as a free download at http://www.nutritionalmagnesium.org.

For media inquiries, please contact Boris Levitsky at (714) 605-1100.

About the Nutritional Magnesium Association

The nonprofit Nutritional Magnesium Association (NMA) is a trusted authority on the subject of magnesium deficiency and provides timely and useful information so as to improve the lives of all people affected by the widespread magnesium deficiency in our diets and the related health issues associated with this deficiency. Radio, TV, magazines and professional journals interview its members regularly.

For more information, go to http://www.nutritionalmagnesium.org.

Contact:

Boris Levitsky
(714) 605-1100
info (at) nutritionalmagnesium.org

SOURCE Nutritional Magnesium Association