Can More Magnesium Mean Less Epilepsy?

More than 1% of the US population, nearly 1% of the Canadian population and around 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, making it one of the most common neurological conditions in the world. For about one-third of them drugs don’t do the job because they have drug-resistant epilepsy. Could something as simple as more magnesium in the diet help?

To answer that question, researchers looked at the dietary magnesium intake of 33,486 adults and examined its association with epilepsy.

Magnesium deficiency is more common among people with magnesium deficiency (Nutr Neurosci
. 2022 Sep;25(9):1813-1822), and people who don’t eat a lot of vegetables–that are rich in magnesium–have a 2.3 times higher likelihood of uncontrolled seizures.

This huge new study found a significant association between dietary magnesium and prevalence of epilepsy. The people who had the most magnesium in their diet had a 62% reduced risk of epilepsy than people who got the least.

The data showed that about half of magnesium’s protective effect came from reducing neuroinflammation.

The researchers conclude that diets high in magnesium, which are high in leafy greens, nuts and whole grains, may help prevent epilepsy.

IBRO Neurosci Rep. 2026 Feb 5;20:244–251.

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