Intakes of potassium, magnesium, and calcium and risk of stroke.

We aimed to investigate the associations of dietary and total potassium, magnesium, and calcium intakes with stroke occurrence. A prospective cohort study was conducted among 36 094 participants aged 21 to 70 years. Dietary intake was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire. During 12 years of follow-up, 631 strokes occurred. After adjustment for confounders, magnesium intake was associated with reduced stroke risk (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] per 100 mg/d, 0.80 [0.67-0.97] dietary magnesium; 0.78 [0.65-0.93] total magnesium). Potassium and calcium intakes were not associated with stroke. This study supports an association between high magnesium intake and a reduced stroke risk.