Magnesium supplements can help ease asthma symptoms in young people, a Brazilian study suggests. Studies indicate magnesium’s bronchodilating effect can be quite rapid.
Researchers at the State University of Campinas Medical School set out to investigate the long-term effects of magnesium supplementation on children and adolescents with "moderate persistent asthma."
Thirty-seven patients ranging in age from seven to 19 years were randomly divided into two groups, one of which received 300 mg of magnesium per day. The other received a placebo. Both groups also received standard asthma medication as needed.
After two months of observation, the researchers concluded that "oral magnesium supplementation helped to reduce bronchial reactivity…., to diminish allergen-induced skin responses and to provide better symptom control in pediatric patients with moderate persistent asthma treated with [inhalers]."
Lung function was similar in the two groups but patients who received magnesium had "fewer asthma exacerbations and used less salbutamol [inhalers] compared to the placebo group."
Source: Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jan;61(1):54-60. Epub 2006 Jun 21
