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systematically. The daily dietary requirement of selenium is 70 micrograms for men and 55
micrograms for women, and is easily obtained from grains, nuts, fish, and dairy products.

Magnesium

Both magnesium and selenium increase the production of antibodies and enhance immune system
function. Magnesium is also a catalyst for enzymes involved in energy production, and helps to
regulate cell membrane stability. This range of actions has lent it some standing as an antiaging and
antimemory-loss therapy, but systematic clinical studies have not yet been conducted.

Magnesium may have antianxiety and antistress properties. Since magnesium has cardiac effects,
if you are a heart patient you need to check with your doctor if you plan to start taking magnesium
supplements. Magnesium is chemically very similar to calcium, and the two have to be in close
balance— yin and yang— for proper bodily function. Therefore, high calcium intake needs to
accompany magnesium therapy. Magnesium is present in a variety of foodstuffs: fruits, dairy
products, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seafood. A normal diet easily exceeds the
FDA minimum daily requirement of 350 mg for men and 280 mg for women.

Aluminum

Metals like chromium, magnesium, and selenium compete with aluminum in some of their actions
because they occupy similar positions in the periodic table of natural elements. The interest in these
elements accelerated after the aluminum theory of Alzheimer's disease was proposed. In the early
1980s, traces of aluminum were found in the plaques and tangles that develop in the brains of
patients with Alzheimer's disease. However, community surveys across the world show no link
between aluminum exposure and dementia, or even milder forms of memory loss. As a result,
research in this area has floundered in recent years. Few studies have been conducted with any of
these metals as a treatment for memory loss.

Chromium

Chromium is essential in the manufacture of trypsin, an important digestive enzyme in the intestines.
Chromium is also present in red blood cells and helps to metabolize cholesterol, thereby reducing the