Magnesium May Effect High Blood Pressure Or Heart Palpitations
Magnesium is a really important electrolyte mineral within the body which could influence our blood pressure and heart health in the right amounts.
We tend to hear more about how calcium and calcium synergistic vitamin D support our wellbeing. Magnesium though exists in conjunction with calcium to support optimal health and is just as important to our overall wellbeing.
Variations in blood calcium and magnesium could have detrimental effects on our wellbeing. This is particularly significant in relation to the heart because of how sensitive heart cells are to fluctuations in electrolytes. Studies show that healthy amounts of magnesium support heart tissue lifespan and may encourage more optimal heart health.
Interestingly heart problems and cardiovascular disease are some of the leading causes of death worldwide. Public health systems worldwide are experiencing issues with the volumes of these patients. Magnesium could have a role which is yet to be appreciated in supporting public health. Current estimates show that low magnesium levels contribute to about 10% of moderate heart failures.
In addition to this heart health is central to exercise ability. Magnesium may play a very influential role in supporting or maintaining the wellness of very active people and exercise ability. This is especially considering how electrolytes are lost in our sweat and are used in muscle movement. Some studies show that magnesium may support improvements in exercise ability.
Levels of certain nutrients such as magnesium are also thought to be heavily depleted in our soils compared to earlier agricultural systems. This may be a core reason why 60% of US adults are not eating enough magnesium.
Here the ways in which magnesium may influence aspects of heart health and our blood pressure will be considered to show why this mineral is so important for our wellbeing.
Magnesium And Our Health
Magnesium is an important electrolyte which the body requires to support normal energy production and also muscle relaxations during muscle movement. During exercise we use our pools of magnesium to support muscle movement. Magnesium depletion is associated with structural damage to muscle cells and elevated magnesium levels may promote muscle regeneration.
The suggested magnesium RDA is around 420mg or 320mg if male or female. Some foods rich in magnesium include cashew nuts or peanuts. Most people in the US are eating less than the recommended amount of magnesium. Around 60% do not consume enough magnesium. Some deficiency symptoms include muscle cramps or fatigue and an abnormal heart rate.
Modern agricultural soils are thought to be not as rich in magnesium as traditional agricultural systems once were. We also lose a lot of electrolytes in our sweat through intensive exercise and daily muscle movement. If you are very active research shows that your needs for magnesium increase. This all emphasises the importance of supporting healthy levels of magnesium within the body.
More than half of the magnesium found within the body is stored in our bones. Magnesium helps to build the proteins needed in our muscles or other body tissues while magnesium may also encourage bone strength. Research shows that higher intakes of magnesium from our diet significantly reduces risks of developing a vitamin D deficiency. Magnesium deficiency may cause osteoporosis.
Magnesium helps to activate vitamin D which encourages calcium absorption for bone formation. This is also why magnesium is often included in bone health supplements. This is one way in which magnesium helps to regulate healthy levels of calcium in the body.
Magnesium And The Heart
The heart muscle depends on electrical signals to function properly. Magnesium plays a really important role in supporting optimal electrical activity as required in our heart cells to distribute blood throughout our network of blood vessels. This then supports the optimal functioning of our organ systems.
Magnesium exists in conjunction with other electrolytes such as calcium in our cells. Magnesium is required to signal healthy muscle relaxations while calcium is used for muscle contractions. These electrolytes oppose each other and are regulated by each other so that our cellular electrolyte levels are optimal. This is very important in supporting the optimal health of our heart muscle.
Low amounts of cellular magnesium may lead to increases in cellular calcium especially in the muscles. Magnesium is also able to prevent calcium reuptake into the muscles and also prevents the entry of calcium into parts of our axons which signal muscle movements.
Magnesium is needed in 300 different processes within the body including in energy production. This is also especially important in encouraging the optimal health of the ever beating and metabolising heart throughout our lifespan.
Magnesium And Blood Pressure
Various studies show that magnesium may help to regulate our blood pressure. Individuals who are deficient in magnesium often have higher blood pressure. Studies have shown that people with higher amounts of circulating magnesium usually have lower blood pressure too.
An elevated intake of vitamin D and calcium in someone with a magnesium deficiency could lead to accumulations of calcium and phosphorus in the blood. This could cause calcification of blood vessels which may result in atherosclerosis. This is a condition where the blood vessels become blocked and blood pressure then becomes raised. Atherosclerosis caused high blood pressure increases risks of developing cardiovascular disease and having a heart attack.
The links between magnesium insufficiency and atherosclerosis have been shown extensively in different clinical trials. Individuals with low magnesium levels have observable vascular hypertension and blood vessel constriction. These individuals may also experience blood vessel endothelial dysfunction with increases in fatty deposits which also raise risk of heart attacks. Deficiencies in magnesium are linked with the premature death of heart cells which would additionally contribute to possible risk of death from a heart attack. Many sufferers of heart failures have a magnesium deficiency.
Large research studies have indicated that higher magnesium intakes are linked with a lowered risk of developing a stoke and death from heart disease. The US Food and Drug Administration currently also supports a health claim on food products or food supplements containing high levels of magnesium. They allow the statement on food products that diets with adequate magnesium may help to reduce the risk of high blood pressure. These all suggest that magnesium could play an important role in managing optimal blood pressure and heart health.
Does Magnesium Reduce Risk Of Heart Palpitations
A heart palpitation is an unusual awareness of our heartbeat caused by rapid heart rate or increases in heart muscle contractions and also irregular heart rhythms. Some people describe this as a sensation of the heart racing or fluttering. There are various causes of heart palpitations including exercise or heart disease.
Elevations in blood pressure are able to cause the heart to contract harder. This is a cause of some cases of heart palpitations. Elevated blood magnesium may reduce blood pressure. This means there is a possibility that an elevated magnesium intake could support reductions in the risks of developing heart palpitations in some circumstances.
About half of patients with palpitation have a cardiac arrhythmia or heart contraction irregularity. Clinical trials showed that an increase in circulating magnesium was able to reduce risk of death and heart contraction irregularities after a heart attack. Disturbances in electrolytes such as magnesium are also known to be a cause of some cardiac arrhythmias. This is strong evidence that magnesium could be effective in reducing the risk of heart palpitations.
Magnesium And Heart Rate
The influences of magnesium on our heart health may be broad. Some studies have found that a higher intake of magnesium may lower our heart rate. Variability in heart rate may also reduce with higher intakes of magnesium. These are both supportive of heart health.
There are many reasons why this could be the case. One reason could be due to improved neuromuscular signalling within the heart muscle for relaxations. Another reason may be because of how important magnesium is in maintaining optimal energy production within the constantly metabolising heart muscle. Magnesium could both be supportive in promoting the lifespan of our heart tissue and may increase the resistance of our heart to strain.
Evidence from various studies supports this. Research shows that magnesium could help to improve or support exercise ability and tolerance. Some studies show that energy availability may improve with higher magnesium levels in addition to improvements in oxygen intake. Magnesium levels are positively linked to improvements in muscle ability and limb resistance to external pressure during exercise.
Overall the evidence in support of magnesium as being able to encourage more optimal heart health is very impressive. Increases in magnesium intake may be able to lower high blood pressure and reduce risks of some heart palpitations which would support optimal heart health.
Summary
Magnesium is very important as an electrolyte within the body which could influence risks of heart issues such as high blood pressure or palpitations in some circumstances.
We hear more about vitamin D and calcium in terms of public health but magnesium is equally important in supporting our wellbeing. This is especially considered how prevalent cardiovascular disease is worldwide. Magnesium is thought to be massively depleted in modern agricultural soils and this may be a core reason why 60% of US adults are not eating enough magnesium.
Magnesium is needed for healthy muscle relaxations during movement and also in support of healthy energy production. Research shows that increased magnesium levels may be more optimal in supporting the health of our heart. Magnesium may have an important role in supporting the optimal heart health through promoting healthy electrical activity. This is an especially important role when considering how active our heart is.
Research shows that magnesium may help to regulate our blood pressure properly. This may then reduce risks of blood vessel constriction from atherosclerosis and risk of heart attack. Various studies support links between low magnesium and higher risk of atherosclerosis.
An elevated magnesium intake could also support reductions in the risks of developing heart palpitations in some circumstances. Research confirms that electrolyte disturbances are sometimes a cause of cardiac arrhythmias. Magnesium may also be able to help lower our heart rate.
Overall research supports magnesium as being able to encourage more optimal heart health. An increased magnesium intake may lower high blood pressure and reduce risks of some heart palpitations which would support more optimal heart health.
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