Magnesium reduces hot flashes

New research published in the journal Support Cancer Care has shown magnesium supplements to be extremely effective for reducing the frequency and severity of hot flushes in menopausal women. This is great news for women who want to avoid hormone replacement therapy.

This particular study looked at women who have had breast cancer. These women often get severe hot flushes, mostly caused by the drugs used in the conventional treatment of breast cancer. Hormones of any kind are contraindicated in women with a history of breast cancer because they may cause a return of the disease.
Researchers studied 20 breast cancer patients with an average age of 53.5 years. Eight of the women were taking tamoxifen, nine were taking an aromatase inhibitor and 14 were taking an antidepressant. All of the women experienced at least 14 hot flushes each week. The women were given 400 mg of magnesium each day for four weeks. They could increase the dose to 800 mg per day if they felt like they needed to. 17 of the women did increase their dose.

The women experienced fantastic results. Magnesium greatly reduced the frequency and severity of hot flushes. There was an average reduction in the incidence of hot flushes from 52.2 per week to 27.7 per week. More than half of the women experienced a greater than 50 percent reduction in hot flush severity. They were also thrilled to experience significantly reduced sweating, fatigue and distress.
This is a great finding because former breast cancer patients usually get the most severe case of hot flushes; because of the oestrogen blocking medication they are given. If magnesium can greatly improve the quality of life for these women, it should significantly help the average menopausal woman who has not had breast cancer. Magnesium is a safe and effective remedy for more than just hot flushes. Research has shown that magnesium helps to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease and insulin resistance (syndrome X).

Source:
Park H, Parker GL, Boardman CH, Morris MM, Smith TJ. A pilot phase II trial of magnesium supplements to reduce menopausal hot flashes in breast cancer patients. Support Care Cancer. 2011;19(6):859-863.

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