Reduced Magnesium Levels Predict Heart Disease Risk and Increase Mortality by Fifty Percent

Magnesium is a ubiquitous mineral that has been found in abundance in the human diet for countless generations. Over the past half century, this essential nutrient has been systematically weaned from the vast majority of leafy greens and vegetables due to poor soil conditions and the rapid rise in consumption of processed foods where any required nutrients have been removed in favor of added sugars, fats, artificial flavors and coloring.

Magnesium is required for proper electrical signaling within the heart muscle and helps stabilize a normal rhythm. Deficiency of the mineral has also been shown to increase arterial stiffness, increasing blood pressure and work load of the muscle, directly impacting cardiovascular health and mortality. Researchers from Japan, publishing the result of a study in the journal, Atherosclerosis have found that increased intakes of magnesium in the diet may reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality by fifty percent.

Low Magnesium Intake Creates an Imbalance with Calcium Leading to Arterial Stiffness

Prior research works have determined that low magnesium levels are the best predictor of heart disease, contrary to the traditional belief that cholesterol or saturated fats play the biggest role. In a cohort of studies spanning the past forty years, scientists have found that low magnesium levels are linked with all known cardiovascular risk factors including high blood pressure, arterial plaque build-up, calcification of soft tissues, excess cholesterol levels and hardening of the arteries.

Researchers determined that decades of elevated calcium intake have not been balanced with increasing magnesium intake and consequently in the US, dietary calcium-to-magnesium ratios are increasing. Many people have been led to believe that they need to take copious amounts of supplemental calcium to maintain bone health, when in reality they are developing a homeostatic imbalance of the two minerals and dramatically increasing their risk of arterial stiffness, early cardiovascular disease and death.

Monitor Daily Magnesium Consumption and Supplement as Necessary to Improve Cardiovascular Health

Dr. Carloyn Dean, Medical Advisor of the Nutritional Magnesium Association concluded “…heart disease is still the number one killer in America in spite of over two decades of statin use. The fact that low levels of magnesium are associated with all the risk factors and symptoms of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart arrhythmia, angina and heart attack can no longer be ignored; the evidence is much too compelling.” The authors note that nuts and legumes are an excellent natural source of magnesium, yet many people avoid them due to the misconception that they are unhealthy due to the high fat content.

Daily requirements for magnesium are 320 mg for women and 420 mg for men, yet many people take in less than half of these minimum amounts leading to a significant deficiency over time. Health-conscious individuals will optimize their diet, or supplement with a blended magnesium formulation to assure a daily intake of 400 to 500 mg. Additionally, it may be necessary to limit or eliminate calcium supplementation to maintain proper calcium to magnesium balance and dramatically lower the risk of heart disease and early death.

Potassium and Magnesium Lower Blood Pressure and Heart Disease Risk

Potassium and magnesium are two essential minerals that provide a powerful shield against age-related arterial stiffness and elevated blood pressure readings. Despite our best dietary efforts to eat plenty of fresh vegetables, nuts and fruits, some may still be deficient in circulating levels of this super duo.

Due to over farming practices, magnesium levels are less than half compared to a century ago. Many people shun potassium from salt based on the unfounded notion that sodium increases the incidence of heart disease. The result of research presented to the American Society of Nephrology concludes that reduced intake of potassium is a significant risk factor in higher blood pressure readings and incidence of coronary artery disease.

Critical Minerals Have Been Eliminated From Our Modern Diet

Researchers found that the present American consumes less than one-third the amount of potassium compared to our evolutionary counterparts. This is largely due to a diet high in processed foods and lowered consumption of fruits and vegetables. Study results demonstrated that increased dietary potassium both lowered blood pressure as well as most pharmaceuticals and improved cardiovascular health by promoting renal fitness and improved elimination of plaque-forming calcium from the blood.

Studies conducted at the University of Pennsylvania and published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found that patients with chronically elevated pulmonary blood pressure and the lowest sodium and potassium levels had a ten-fold increased risk of death from cardiac complications. The heart requires a proper balance of the two minerals to handle increased workloads, and low potassium levels make the heart unable to meet this demand.

Lack of Dietary Magnesium Leads to Arterial Hardening

New medical research now shows that low levels of magnesium is an independent risk factor for arterial hardening that is a leading cause of congestive heart failure and heart attack. It`s estimated that 70% of all adults are deficient in this mineral as a result of poor dietary balance and reduced absorption from healthy sources such as vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Contributing to the journal Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, researchers determined that magnesium supplementation “could have a major impact on cardiovascular health and help to correct the source of problems such as high blood pressure.”

Magnesium and potassium exert multiple critical influences on arterial health that result in improved vascular tone. The mineral duo is shown to lower levels of systemic inflammation, improve vasodilatation and support the production of friendly nitric oxide necessary for proper elasticity of the vascular system. Health-minded individuals will want to ensure a daily magnesium intake between 400 and 600 mg. Ensure proper potassium levels by eating a diet filled with fresh vegetables to maintain normal blood pressure readings and lower risk from cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Magnesium Essential to Heart Health, Lowers Blood Sugar

(Article first published as Magnesium Slashes Heart Attack Risk, Helps Prevent Diabetes on Technorati.)

Magnesium is one of the most common elemental minerals in the human body yet experts believe that more than 90% of adults are deficient, placing them at extreme risk of sudden death from a heart attack and developing diabetes. Hundreds of biochemical functions that drive energy metabolism and DNA repair are fueled by magnesium.

We rely on eating vegetables and other natural foods grown in magnesium rich soils as our source of this vital mineral. Most people don’t eat enough fresh vegetables to supply adequate magnesium while poor farming practices have depleted the mineral from most commercially grown crops. You can ensure that you receive magnesium though diet and supplementation to stave off heart disease and metabolic dysfunction.

Magnesium Deficiency Linked with Diabetes

Magnesium is used by hundreds of enzymes in our body to regulate blood sugar metabolism. The mineral is known to dampen the flames of inflammation that interferes with healthy blood sugar and can lead to insulin resistance. The results of a study published in the journal Biologic Trace Elements Research shows that as magnesium levels in the blood increase, the risk of Type II diabetes declines in a corresponding fashion. By boosting levels of fat storage hormones such as adiponectin, magnesium plays a critical role in protecting metabolic function and lowering risk of diabetes.

Magnesium Protects Against Sudden Cardiac Death

Sudden cardiac death is a leading cause of heart-related deaths among those 40 and older. More than 250,000 people die each year for this preventable condition. Research that was part of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study demonstrates that those individuals with the highest magnesium in blood circulation had a 40% lower risk of dying from a heart attack as those with the lowest levels.

Magnesium is necessary to relax blood vessels and arteries while maintaining normal blood pressure. Further research has demonstrated the effect of magnesium on dangerous plaque formation. Low levels of magnesium are associated with the development of foamy plaque on the inner lining of the coronary arteries as well as thickening of the artery walls. High levels of magnesium were shown to decrease arterial wall thickness by 42%.

Magnesium from Diet or Supplements

The typical diet of refined foods does not supply sufficient amounts of magnesium to counteract disease. Manufacturers process out most of the nutrients necessary for health and are a poor choice to optimize health. Good sources of magnesium are nuts, seeds and beans in their natural state as well as organically grown vegetables and leafy greens. Most people will need to supplements to reach the daily intake of 400 mg recommended by experts.

Magnesium levels are grossly deficient due to mineral depletion from soils and a diet of synthetically produced foods. It`s no coincidence that humans have evolved to be reliant on a natural mineral to prevent heart disease and metabolic dysfunction. Magnesium has been plentiful in our food for generations and must be consumed as part of a natural diet or through supplementation to ensure optimal health.