The authors sought to investigate the relationship between dietary magnesium intake and mortality from cardiovascular disease in a population-based sample of Asian adults. Reported findings are based on dietary magnesium intake in 58,615 healthy Japanese aged 40-79 years, in the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study. Dietary magnesium intake was assessed by a validated food frequency questionnaire administered between 1988 and 1990. During the median 14.7-year follow-up, we documented 2690 deaths from cardiovascular disease, comprising 1227 deaths from strokes and 557 deaths from coronary heart disease. Dietary magnesium intake was inversely associated with mortality from hemorrhagic stroke in men and with mortality from total and ischemic strokes, coronary heart disease, heart failure and total cardiovascular disease in women. The multivariable hazard ratio (95% CI) for the highest vs. the lowest quintiles of magnesium intake after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factor and sodium intake was 0.49 (0.26-0.95), P for trend = 0.074 for hemorrhagic stroke in men, 0.68 (0.48-0.96), P for trend = 0.010 for total stroke, 0.47 (0.29-0.77), P for trend < 0.001 for ischemic stroke, 0.50 (0.30-0.84), P for trend = 0.005 for coronary heart disease, 0.50 (0.28-0.87), P for trend = 0.002 for heart failure and 0.64 (0.51-0.80), P for trend < 0.001 for total cardiovascular disease in women. The adjustment for calcium and potassium intakes attenuated these associations. In conclusion, dietary magnesium intake was associated with reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease in Japanese, especially for women.
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