Magnesium sulfate (epsom salts) can reduce a premature infant’s risk of developing cerebral palsy by 50 percent.
The result of the new study, recently completed at University of Alabama-Birmingham and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, promises to be the biggest breakthrough in the management of high-risk pregnancies in 30 years.
Magnesium sulfate is a chemical compound with a wide variety of medical uses. While it cannot prevent the onset of premature birth, it is well known to help regulate maternal blood pressure.
Cerebral palsy is a blanket term for birth defects that can lead to a variety of movement and posture disorders caused by damage to the developing brain. Approximately one-third of all cases are linked to brain damage caused during premature birth – defined as occurring before the 32nd week of pregnancy.
The researchers emphasized that study’s findings only apply to premature births, but said that the observed effect was large enough to warrant immediate implementation. In addition, he study’s results were consistent with those of the second largest study ever conducted, a 2003 trial from Australia.
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Scientists remain uncertain exactly how magnesium sulfate acts to reduce cerebral palsy risk. They have speculated that it might protect a fetus from injury or damage caused by inflammation, swelling, or lack of oxygen, or that it might "stabilize the vessels in the vulnerable preterm brain."
