Do magnesium levels impact cardiovascular risk? A recent review suggests they might.
- Magnesium is an important mineral that affects
the body’s muscle and nerve function, as well as multiple other body
functions.
- Experts are interested in how magnesium may
affect cardiovascular function.
- A recent review suggests that low magnesium
levels may affect the risk for several cardiovascular diseases and that
many people are not consuming adequate amounts of magnesium.
- People can take steps to increase magnesium
intake if appropriate.
Magnesium is a mineral that affects many aspects of
how the human body works, including nerve function, muscle function, and bone
development.
A review published in Nutrients discusses
how magnesium affects cardiovascular health,
according to recent studies.
The
review suggests that inadequate magnesium levels can increase the risk for cardiovascular
disease, based on data from multiple studies.
The review also discusses several mechanisms that may
be involved and notes that many people are not consuming enough magnesium in
their diets.
Magnesium
intake: How does it affect cardiovascular disease risk?
Patrick Kee, MD, PhD, a cardiologist with Vital
Heart & Vein, who was not involved in the review, explained to Medical News
Today what a magnesium
deficiency is, and how doctors can diagnose it.
He told us that:
“Magnesium deficiency can
manifest in two distinct states: hypomagnesemia and chronic latent magnesium
deficiency. Hypomagnesemia is relatively straightforward to diagnose, as it is
characterized by a low serum magnesium level below 1.5 to 1.8 mg/dL [milligrams
per deciliter]. However, total body magnesium deficiency without hypomagnesemia
can be challenging to detect. This condition, known as chronic latent magnesium
deficiency, can only be diagnosed through a magnesium tolerance test, which
involves administering an intravenous infusion of magnesium followed by urine
collections. Unfortunately, this test is laborious and not widely accessible.”
The review notes that people with chronic latent
magnesium deficiency have reduced magnesium overall. However, their serum total
magnesium still reads as normal.
This review notes several key points in the history of
research regarding magnesium. For a while, the understanding was that magnesium
deficiency was not a major issue and that if it was, it was mainly for people
with conditions that impacted their body’s ability to absorb or excrete
magnesium.
Research in the late 1990s and early 2000s began to
support the idea that inadequate dietary magnesium led to not enough magnesium
in the body. The results also suggested that this deficiency might affect
cardiovascular function.
The review then notes that after 2006, many
epidemiological studies, randomized controlled trials, and meta-analyses showed
a relationship between magnesium and conditions like high blood pressure, heart
failure, and cardiac mortality.
More
recent data have added to these findings. Many studies from 2018 and on have
found that magnesium status is inversely correlated with high blood
pressure, stroke,
coronary and ischemic heart disease, atrial
fibrillation, heart failure,
and cardiac morbidity and mortality.
The review then discusses how magnesium deficiency may
contribute to cardiovascular problems. There may be multiple mechanisms
involved.
For example, magnesium deficiency may contribute to
inflammatory stress and oxidative stress. The author defines oxidative stress
as “an imbalance between oxidants (reactive oxygen and nitrogen species) and
antioxidants.”
Some data also supports the idea that magnesium
deficiency may contribute to abnormal lipid levels and trouble with lipid
metabolism.
For example, the author notes some data from human
studies supports that chronic latent magnesium deficiency could lead to lipid
changes. The review suggests that magnesium deficiency may also contribute to
endothelial dysfunction and changes in electrolyte metabolism.
How much magnesium do you need?
After discussion of the relationship between magnesium and
cardiovascular disease, the review goes on to discuss magnesium intake. The
author notes that it has been challenging to set how much magnesium people
should consume.
A number of factors could impact how much magnesium
someone needs. For example, some data support the notion that individuals who
weigh more might need to consume more magnesium.
The review further notes that surveys indicate that
many people are not consuming enough magnesium.
The author stresses that over one quarter of adults
could have a magnesium intake that could lead to mild to moderate magnesium
deficiency or chronic latent magnesium deficiency.
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