If you're concerned about magnesium deficiency and heart attacks, you have good reason. According to researchers reporting in the December 2009 issue of the "Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners," the Western diet does not contain enough magnesium to provide protection from cardiovascular disease. However, if you're considering taking magnesium for heart health benefits, it's very important you first consult with your doctor.
Heart Health Essential
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, magnesium is essential to hearth health and deficiency is associated with heart disease. In hospital settings, magnesium is administered intravenously to help normalize heart rhythm and reduce the chance of atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is very dangerous because it's a leading cause of heart attack and stroke, and people are often unaware when it's happening. But if you have a cardiac disease history, the Medical Center warns against taking magnesium supplements without a doctor's consult because it's important to supplement in a precise ratio to be taken with calcium.
Hypertension
According to the American Heart Association, hypertension caused 56,561 fatal heart attacks in 2006 and rates are rising as of 2011. Researchers reporting in the December 2009 issue of "Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases" noted that studies examining the relationship of diet to heart attacks found less incidence of hypertension in people who consumed the most dietary magnesium. They tested the association in 155 participants who were randomly assigned to receive either 300mg of magnesium or placebo for 12 weeks. The researchers found that the supplemental magnesium lowered blood pressure in participants with both normal and deficient magnesium levels.
Future Risk
If you have an eye toward the future, a study published in the September 2003 issue of the "American Journal of Cardiology" discusses magnesium intake and future risk. Findings are based on the dietary magnesium intake of 7,172 men who participated in the Honolulu Heart Program that lasted 30 years. While the researchers found that magnesium protected against heart attack incidence, they also reported the greatest benefit was afforded during the first 15 years of the study. Protection was modest toward the end of the study, suggesting supplemental intake as men age may extend the benefits.
Mitral Valve Prolapse
Mitral valve prolapse syndrome is a major heart attack risk factor, and it involves malfunctions of the heart's system of valves that control the blood flow. Researcher's reporting in the March 1997 issue of the "American Journal of Cardiology" suspected magnesium deficiency may play a role and enrolled 141 patients in a study to assess the association. They found that 60 percent of the subjects were magnesium deficient. After supplementing 400mg of magnesium for five weeks in 70 of the magnesium-deficient patients, the researchers reported that most of their mitral valve symptoms were significantly alleviated.
References
- "Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners"; Oral Magnesium Supplementation in Adults with Coronary Heart Disease or Coronary Heart Disease Risk; Tavia Mathers and Renea Beckstrand; December 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Magnesium; Steven D. Ehrlich, N.M.D.; June 2009
- American Heart Association: High Blood Pressure Statistics
- "Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases"; Effects of Oral Magnesium Supplementation on Insulin Sensitivity and Blood Pressure in Normo-magnesemic Nondiabetic Overweight Korean Adults; S Lee et al.; December 2009
- "American Journal of Cardiology"; Dietary Magnesium Intake and the Future Risk of Coronary Heart Disease (The Honolulu Heart Program); Robert Abbott et al.; September 2003
- "The American Journal of Cardiology"; Clinical Symptoms of Mitral Valve Prolapse Are Related to Hypomagnesemia and Attenuated by Magnesium Supplementation; Barbara Lichodziejewska et al.; March 1997
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