New evidence
suggests that magnesium may help minimize nerve damage in newborns with low
oxygen levels, a condition called perinatal asphyxia.
Perinatal
asphyxia usually occurs when the mother's blood pressure drops or blood flow to
the infant's brain is blocked during delivery. The condition occurs in about
0.1-1 percent of live births.
Asphyxia
causes glutamate, an amino acid, to build up in the infant's brain. The excess
glutamate allows calcium to flow through cell channels, thereby leading to
permanent nerve damage.
This latest
study suggests that magnesium sulfate may help prevent this flow of calcium.
Researchers
studied 40 term infants with severe perinatal asphyxia and moderate or severe
brain injuries. The infants randomly received three doses of intravenous
magnesium sulfate or placebo. Treatment was given within six hours of birth and
then again after 24 and 48 hours.
Of patients
in the magnesium group, 22 percent had abnormal brain exams when they were
discharged from the hospital, compared to 56 percent in the placebo group.
Additionally, 77 percent of the magnesium group was able to receive oral
feedings when they were discharged compared to 37 percent of the placebo group.
Fourteen days later, brain imaging showed that fewer infants in the magnesium
group (16 percent) had brain abnormalities than the placebo group (44 percent).
Two infants
died in each group. Two patients in the treatment group experienced breathing
problems after receiving the second dose of magnesium sulfate and require the
use of a respirator.
Although
these early findings are promising and supported by limited animal research,
additional research is warranted in this area.
Magnesium
has been suggested as a potential treatment for many other conditions.
Currently, strong evidence supports intravenous magnesium sulfate as a way to
prevent seizures in pregnant women with preeclampsia, a condition that causes
high blood pressure and protein in the urine. Additionally, good evidence
suggests that use of magnesium for irregular heartbeat, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD), type 2 diabetes, hearing loss, leg cramps during
pregnancy, mitral valve prolapse, succinylcholine-induced muscle twitching and
thrombolysis after a heart attack.
For more
information about magnesium, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs &
Supplement database.