Magnesium and Vitamin B6 Reduce Hyperexcitability in Children

Magnesium and vitamin B6 are involved in numerous important activities in the body including the creation of important neurotransmitters in the brain. If you lack magnesium your bones are affected, you can become depressed, or suffer from nervousness and anxiety, insomnia, cardiac arrythmias, and high blood pressure. Normally clinicians check the level of magnesium by looking at its concentration in the plasma. However, research shows that to properly evaluate magnesium levels you have to check the amount of magnesium in the erythrocyte (the mature red blood cell that contains both oxygen and hemoglobin).

In this study researchers checked the erythrocyte level of magnesium in 52 children under the age of 15 who suffered from hyperexcitability. 30 of the 52 children had low erythrocyte levels of magnesium. All of the children received magnesium supplementation with vitamin B6, and those with low erythrocyte concentrations of magnesium were given enough to bring the manesium level to normal. It is important to mention that although the erythrocyte levels were low, the plasma levels were normal - this could mislead most clinicians into thinking the children had adequate magnesium. In all children the symptoms of hyperexcitability decreased after one to six months on the supplements. The symptoms of physical aggression, emotional instability, poor attention in school, involuntary muscle spasms, and other movement disorders all improved. In checking the erythrocyte magnesium levels of their relatives it was found that they also lacked magnesium, and the relatives benefited in a similar fashion to supplementation with both magnesium and vitamin B6.

Conclusion - the magnesium and vitamin B6 supplementation reduced central nervous system over excitation in children and their relatives with hyperexcitability. The study is published in the October 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

The Green Tea Antioxidant EGCG Rescues the Digestive Tract from the Ulcer-Stomach Cancer Causing Bacterium

Infection with the Helicobacter pylori bacteria causes 70% of all stomach (gastric) ulcers, and most duodenal ulcers. H. pylori causes 70% to 90% of all gastric cancers and 90% of all MALT lymphomas of the stomach. Eradicating H. pylori cures 50% of all MALT lymphomas (a low grade lymphoma in the stomach - Mucosa Associated Lymphoid Tissue lymphoma). Previous studies has shown that EGCG, green teas most important antioxidant, decreases the risk of both stomach and colon cancer.

H pylori infection has a variety of damaging effects on digestive tract tissue. It causes inflammation, oxidative stress (free radical damage), DNA damage, glycation, increased cancer causing activity through improper cellular activity, and the death of digestve tract cells. EGCG, the most protective polyphenol in green tea, is known to inhibit H. pylori related stomach damage due to EGCGs powerful antioxidant, and antibacterial activity.

In this study, pretreating with EGCG prevented the killing of digestive tract cells by H. pylori. EGCG prevented DNA damage, prevented glycation of gastric tissue, and prevented the cancer causing activity of improper cell signalling. EGCG also increased the rate of gastric healing. EGCG prevented inflammation of the digestive tract tissue that is caused by H. pylori infection. The stuyd is published in the December 9th, 2004 issue of the journal Helicobacter.

Commentary by Jerry Hickey, R.Ph.

DGL-Licorice, Vitamin C, Olive Leaf, Friendly Flora, and the carotenoid Astaxanthin also have an inhibitory effect on H pylori.