A new study shows how magnesium helps the immune system eliminate cancerous cells in mice.
 MNT's Sunday Supplement: How magnesium primes the immune system to fight cancer and infections | Magnesium is important. This essential macromineral plays a vital role in many hundreds of enzyme reactions in the human body, supporting nerve, muscle, and immune system function, as well as blood pressure regulation and insulin metabolism. Magnesium also appears to affect the progression of cancer, and new research, which MNT reported on this week, has discovered why this might be.
Swiss scientists found that cytotoxic "killer" T cells can only destroy cancerous or infected cells in the presence of magnesium. Without it, docking sites on the surface of these T cells remain bent out of shape and unable to bind to their targets.
So, the scientists used targeted lipid nanoparticles to boost magnesium levels inside tumors in mice and found that this boosted the effectiveness of immune therapy. Clinical trials of this treatment and magnesium supplementation in humans are now at an advanced stage of planning.
What about supplementation with magnesium in healthy people? Does that also reduce the risk of developing cancer? So far, there is only evidence for an association between magnesium and treatment outcomes. However, about 48% of people in the United States do not get enough of this essential mineral in their diet, so it is likely that supplementation could deliver wider health benefits.
To learn more about how treatment with magnesium may improve cancer treatment outcomes, jump to "Magnesium in cancer and immunity."
Also this week, we reported on the surprising discovery of many new types of single celled organisms in the human gut that are neither bacteria nor viruses. In addition, we considered the health risks of cannibalism and looked at why 35 days of exercise is the sweet spot for encouraging nerve regeneration, at least in mice.
We will return with our regular daily newsletter tomorrow. Please get in touch by email if you have any feedback, comments, or questions about this week's Sunday Supplement.
Tim Snaith
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