Your body needs vitamins and minerals to be able to carry out essential functions, such as helping metabolize food into energy. Some vitamins and minerals, like vitamin C, boost your immune system and fight disease. Certain minerals, including magnesium and potassium, are directly involved in regulating your heart rhythm, so it is important to consume enough in your diet. Vitamins, while important for your overall health, are less directly involved in your heart rhythm.
Magnesium Function
According to the National Institutes of Health, magnesium is the fourth most common mineral in your body, and it is used in more than 300 biochemical reactions. Magnesium is needed for active ion transport across cell membranes. This means that magnesium helps exchange ions -- electrically charged particles -- across the barrier that encloses your cells. The transport of ions impacts electrical impulses, which control the muscle contractions that make your heart beat steadily. In addition, magnesium is required in cell signaling, which also impacts your heart rate.
Magnesium Sources and Recommendations
You need to be getting enough magnesium through your diet or multivitamins to maintain a healthy heart rate. The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends that normal adult males ages 19 to 30 should consume 400 mg of magnesium, and ages 31 and over should take 420 mg daily. Normal women ages 19 to 30 should consume 310 mg daily, while women 31 and older should get 310 mg. Magnesium can be found naturally in leafy vegetables, whole grains and nuts.
Potassium Function
Potassium is a mineral that all of your body's cells require. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, it is an electrolyte, which is a compound that conducts electricity in your body by breaking down into ions. Potassium is an ion that functions inside your body's cells, but it interacts with sodium outside your cells to maintain an electrical and chemical balance across your cell membranes. The potassium in your cells and in the membrane helps your heart rhythm remain normal.
Potassium Sources and Recommendations
The Food and Nutrition Board recommends 4,700 mg, or 4.7 g, of potassium daily for an average adult. Unfortunately, most Americans consume half that, which can make your body work harder to maintain a healthy heart rhythm. Potassium can be found naturally in fruits and vegetables, although it is particularly abundant in sources like bananas, plums, potato with skin, tomato juice and raisins. Overall, if you are concerned that your diet is not providing enough nutrients to maintain a healthy heart, take a multivitamin that will provide you with the potassium and magnesium you need for a steady heart beat.
References
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Magnesium
- Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center; Magnesium; Victoria J. Drake, Ph.D.; August 2007
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Potassium; Steven D. Ehrlich, NMD; May 2009
- Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center; Potassium; Victoria J. Drake, Ph.D.; December 2010
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