Higher magnesium levels are associated with less heart disease
by Newsletter Editor
The body needs magnesium for hundreds of biochemical reactions, to maintain muscles and nerves, and to regulate heart rhythm. Most Americans don’t get enough magnesium.
In this review, doctors combined data from 16 studies covering 313,041 people worldwide where researchers measured magnesium levels and the likelihood of heart disease. In the first finding, for every increase in circulating magnesium of 0.2 millimoles per liter of blood, chances of developing cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, heart failure, or arrhythmia, were 30 percent lower. Normal magnesium levels for adults range between 0.74 and 1.07 millimoles per liter.
In another finding, compared to those who got less, those who consumed higher amounts of magnesium from diet were 22 percent less likely to develop ischemic heart disease; where the heart lacks sufficient blood supply and oxygen.
Reference: Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Jul; 98(1): 160-73