While magnesium by itself did not significantly improve levels of inflammation or oxidative stress markers in PCOS patients, when magnesium was co-supplemented with these other foundational nutrients, it was found to improve the inflammatory response, insulin resistance, and fat metabolism. The authors further noted that magnesium supplementation may be especially helpful and effective in individuals with deficient magnesium levels.

This study highlights the importance of a variety of nutrients in maintaining health and how nutrients work together to provide a synergistic impact on the body. Magnesium, alongside vitamin E, zinc, calcium, and vitamin D are necessary for the cells’ antioxidant systems, energy metabolism, and inflammatory response and achieving optimal levels of these crucial nutrients proves worthwhile for health. 
 

Cranberry Extract Improves Gut Microbiota, May Help Prevent Chronic Disease

A study published in April 2024 in the journal npj Biofilms and Microbiomes,²  found that just four days of supplementing with a cranberry extract improved the intestinal microbiota of healthy subjects. The study included 39 adults who took a cranberry supplement twice daily (equivalent to 60 grams of fresh cranberries) for four days. Samples of plasma, urine, and stool were collected from the participants at the beginning of the study and at the end of four days.

After just four days, researchers found that the cranberry supplements increased Bifidobacterium, which is associated with a reduced risk of diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases, and Akkermansia muciniphila bacterium, which plays an important role in the health of the intestinal mucosa, helping to reduce inflammation and strengthen the intestinal barrier. The supplements had a beneficial effect on all of the subjects, and “…resulted in a significant increase in species richness … and influenced the overall composition and structure of the gut microbiota.”

The researchers attributed the beneficial effects to the high content of polyphenols and oligosaccharides found in cranberry extract, which they say act as prebiotics, or in simple terms, food for beneficial bacteria species.

References

1. Li, R., Li, Z., Huang, Y., Hu, K., Ma, B., & Yang, Y. (2022). The effect of magnesium alone or its combination with other supplements on the markers of inflammation, OS and metabolism in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS): A systematic review. Frontiers in endocrinology, 13, 974042. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2022.974042
2. Lessard-Lord, J., Roussel, C., Lupien-Meilleur, J., Généreux, P., Richard, V., Guay, V., Roy, D., & Desjardins, Y. (2024). Short term supplementation with cranberry extract modulates gut microbiota in human and displays a bifidogenic effect. Npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-024-00493-w