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18.08.2025

Absence of depression and sufficient magnesium protect the brains of over-65s against Covid-19

If people over 65 don't suffer from depression or low mood, they have less to worry about the cognitive effects of yet another coronavirus infection. This is especially true if they also get enough magnesium, according to a small observational study published in Medical Sciences.

Study
In the first half of 2023, epidemiologists from the Mexican Institute of Social Security followed 111 people aged 65 and older for six months. The article does not specify how many of them had been vaccinated.

The researchers tracked who contracted Covid-19, determined whether the participants were still alert using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and monitored their blood.

The dominant XBB variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, during this period were initially mild, yet fully capable of penetrating the brain and causing damage that led to accelerated cognitive decline.

The researchers wanted to identify factors that could increase or decrease the risk of cognitive decline. According to the Mexicans, study participants were considered to have experienced cognitive decline if they scored 24 or lower on the MMSE.

Results
The table below shows how many study participants experienced cognitive decline during the trial. This risk was higher in the group who had had COVID-19.

All = all participants aged 65 and over.

Click on the tables below for a larger version.

The risk of cognitive decline increased by a factor of 1.5 after contracting Covid-19. If the study participants had also experienced moderate to severe depression before contracting Covid-19, that risk increased by a factor of 17.

If the study participants had not only contracted Covid-19 but also had a magnesium deficiency in addition to depression, that risk - don't be alarmed - was 44 times higher. Incidentally, a quarter of the people over 65 who had contracted Covid-19 had a magnesium deficiency.

Mechanism
The researchers suspect that brain cells need magnesium to regulate N-methyl-D-aspartate [NMDA] receptors. This receptor allows brain cells to change and store information. They also believe that a good magnesium status can reduce inflammation in the brain, thus reducing the brain damage caused by clearing the virus.

Conclusion
If the study participants had had a disease other than Covid-19, the researchers likely would have suggested that magnesium supplementation could protect those aged 65 and over from cognitive decline. However, such speculation doesn't pass muster. Therefore, the researchers must conceal that message.

"It has been postulated that magnesium deficiency can exacerbate the inflammatory response in Covid-19 patients," the researchers write.

"This suggests that taking magnesium supplements could be an inexpensive, easily accessible way to help at-risk individuals maintain their cognitive function."

Source:
Med. Sci. 2025, 13, 114.

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