Cancer continues to impact millions of lives each year around the world. Finding ways to prevent tumor formation and malignant cell proliferation is key to reducing incidence and mortality from cancer long term. Several lines of preliminary research suggest magnesium may protect against some types of cancer development. And certain forms like magnesium glycinate optimize absorption compared to alternatives.
Magnesium plays innumerable roles in the body relating to cell regeneration, inflammatory regulation, oxidative state, and DNA synthesis. Researchers continue working to uncover exactly how magnesium deficiency or adequacy influences changes at the cellular level that suppress or trigger malignant growths. So far, animal and cell models reveal magnesium deficiency promotes signaling malfunctions that fail to halt cancer advancement. It seems sufficient magnesium allows proper closing of the lymphocyte signaling response that degrades mutant cellular material. This helps stop small dysplastic growths before they multiply and spread uncontrollably.
Magnesium may also preserve the integrity and performance of p53 genes tasked with suppressing tumor formation by prompting DNA repairs or directing programmed cell death. Accumulating mutations lead cells to keep dividing wildly instead of dying off as they should. Again, adequate magnesium availability supports appropriate signaling for removing defective cells.
Can magnesium glycinate specifically reduce cancer risk?
A handful of clinical studies point to particular anti-cancer advantages for magnesium supplements, especially the highly absorbable magnesium glycinate form. For example, one trial tracked over 24,000 people for 6 years. Those with the highest blood measurements and estimated intake levels of magnesium demonstrated a 24% lower risk of getting either colorectal or liver cancer. Glycinate and other supplements achieving high cellular saturation may offer similar protective effects.
Another study in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis correlated taking top magnesium supplements for a year with lower inflammatory blood markers linked to malignancy development. Presumably, sufficient magnesium levels regulate various inflammatory agents that could otherwise enable cancer cell emergence and proliferation. Again, research specifically on magnesium glycinate remains quite limited overall. However, choosing highly bioavailable forms maximizes the likelihood of achieving cellular and systemic effects suggested by these broader magnesium-cancer research avenues.
Early research holds promise
The clinical trial involving colorectal patients indicated those with tumors exhibiting the fastest malignant progression were consistently among the most magnesium deficient. Perhaps fixing insufficiency improves future chances by suppressing high-risk changes at the cellular level. The next study sampling breast cancer patients shortly after chemotherapy infusions associated low blood magnesium measurements with higher degrees of fatigue. Supplementation slashed reports of weakness by almost half suggesting an advantage in ensuring post-treatment magnesium sufficiency.
Who else might consider early supplementation?
While benefits for those genetically prone to certain cancers have been shown in preliminary research, others may also gain preventative advantage from magnesium glycinate without elevated hereditary risk. For starters, modern diets often fail to meet magnesium requirements, especially with a high intake of refined grains and sugar displacing nutrient-rich foods. Those eating standard Western diets low in dark leafy greens, nuts, and whole grains likely suffer chronic insufficiency. Appropriate supplementation counters shortfalls.
Ensuring sufficiency despite unavoidable lifestyle choices known to undercut levels adds smart protection. The excess inflammation, oxygen radical damage, and hormonal shifts accompanying these behaviors increase cancer opportunities long term. Bolstering magnesium input counterbalances vulnerability from lifestyle risk factors to some degree as well.
