MedWire News: Men who smoke could lower their risk of a stroke by eating more magnesium-rich foods, like green leafy vegetables and nuts, a study suggests.

Swedish researchers have found, in a study of more than 25,000 male smokers, that the risk of cerebral infarction, a type of stroke that occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked, is lower in men who consume a lot of magnesium than those with lower intakes.

Recent studies have suggested that changing our diet can influence our risk of stroke.

As hypertension, or high blood pressure, increases the chances of having a stroke, changes to our diet that lower blood pressure may also protect against it, the team suggests.

For the study, Susanna Larsson (Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm) and co-workers analysed the diets of 26,556 male smokers from Finland aged between 50 and 69 years who had not previously had a stroke.

As well as the men's diets, they looked at their medical records, and history of smoking and exercise.

In their analyses, which appear in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the researchers took account of the men's age and other medical signs associated with heart disease, such as diabetes and cholesterol levels.

Men who consumed the most magnesium (an average of 589 mg per day) had a 15% lower risk of a cerebral infarction over the next 7 years, than those who consumed the least (an average of 373 mg per day), the researchers report.

The US recommended daily allowance for magnesium is 400 mg per day and 300 mg per day in Europe

The beneficial link between high magnesium intake and cerebral infarction was greatest for men younger than 60 years of age.

Magnesium intake did not lower the risk of other types of stroke, however.

And intake of other minerals, including calcium, potassium and sodium, was not associated with the risk of any type of stroke, the team adds.

Larsson and co-workers say an association between magnesium intake and cerebral infarction is "biologically plausible". It may suggest that "a high consumption of magnesium-rich foods, such as whole-grain cereals, may play a role in the prevention of cerebral infarction".

Other magnesium-rich foods include meats, starches and milk.

The researchers add that large, long-term studies should be done to see whether magnesium supplements offer the same benefit.