News

March 2013

Magnesium Linked to Reduced Heart Disease Risk

Magnesium may be linked to a lower heart disease risk, suggests a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Magnesium is the second most abundant positively charged ion in the human body and is involved in more than 300 enzymatic reactions. Experimental evidence has suggested that magnesium may play a beneficial role in regulating the formation of blood clots. At higher dosages, magnesium may control hypertension, although evidence in this area is unclear.

The new study included 7,664 adults without heart disease who were part of the Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-Stage Disease (PREVEND) study. Researchers measured magnesium levels in participant urine.

After following patients for 10.5 years, 462 complications occurred from heart disease, both fatal and nonfatal. The men with the lowest levels of urinary magnesium were associated with a significantly increased risk of heart complications, compared to the men with high levels of urinary magnesium. Moreover, a higher level of urinary magnesium was linked to a lower risk of death from heart disease.

Further research on this topic is warranted.

For more information about magnesium supplementation, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements Database.

References

  1. Joosten MM, Gansevoort RT, Mukamal KJ, et al. Urinary and plasma magnesium and risk of ischemic heart disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Mar 13. 
  2. Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. 

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