Magnesium for a Healthy Heart
Magnesium is an important electrolyte that is often overlooked. Among its many benefits, it keeps the heart muscle working at optimum level and works to lower blood pressure
Magnesium is one of the most essential yet overlooked electrolytes your body needs, and in many cases, low magnesium is underdiagnosed. That’s because 99% of the magnesium in your body is in your cells, and only a small amount is in your blood. The kidneys will also help by retaining magnesium and not excreting it in the urine if levels are low. Doctors typically assess for low magnesium with a blood test. Unfortunately, if your blood magnesium is running low, your body will pull it from your cells to bring the blood level up to standard, leaving your cells deficient, and that is where magnesium is needed the most.
Many things can get thrown off when you don’t have enough magnesium inside your cells. One of its most important effects is regulating your heart muscle to keep it pumping regularly. It also helps to keep your arteries soft and compliant so they don’t get stiff, which causes high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
Rhythm Regulation
Magnesium affects the electrical activity and contractility of the heart by regulating the channels that allow electrolytes to move in and out of the cardiac cells. Magnesium and calcium move in opposite directions, so calcium moves in when magnesium goes out of the cells. The critical thing to remember is that calcium causes the heart rate to increase, and magnesium helps to slow it down. When there isn’t enough magnesium in the cells, calcium takes charge, generating a rapid heart rate.
Another effect of low magnesium or hypomagnesemia is a heart rhythm abnormality called prolonged QT. The QT interval is the repolarization phase of your heart, which means it’s powering back up for another electrical impulse. When that interval becomes too long, your heart isn’t ready, causing an electrical abnormality and a potentially deadly rapid heart rhythm called Torades d’Pointe.
Blood Vessel Compliance
Magnesium is known to regulate blood vessel tone and response. You may not realize it, but the inner lining of your blood vessels has smooth muscle, and magnesium helps keep that inner lining soft and compliant by relaxing that muscle, which helps to lower blood pressure.
Magnesium vs. Calcium
When too much calcium is inside of cells, the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels become stiff and calcified. These calcifications build up over time and cause blockages, leading to high blood pressure and heart attack. Magnesium counters calcium and can block calcium from overloading the muscle cells inside of vessels, ultimately keeping them more compliant and preventing blood vessel calcifications.
Magnesium-Rich Foods
When you eat foods with magnesium, 30-40% of it is not absorbed through the stomach, so it’s lost, and about 80% of magnesium is lost in processed foods. To keep your diet rich in magnesium, here are some of the best foods to stock in your kitchen:
Dark green, leafy vegetables
Nuts (almonds and cashews)
Beans, peas, and seeds
Tofu and soy milk
Whole grains
Men should get about 400 to 420 milligrams of magnesium daily, and women should take 310 to 320 milligrams daily.
What To Look For In Magnesium Supplements
Magnesium supplements come in many different forms. Speak with your doctor before deciding which one is right for you.
Magnesium citrate
Magnesium Glycinate
Magnesium threonate
Magnesium orotate
Magnesium taurate
Magnesium malate
Magnesium oxide
Vitamins D and B6 also support the absorption of magnesium. Zinc, in very high doses, can inhibit the absorption of magnesium.
Magnesium Benefits Beyond The Heart
Your heart is not the only organ that benefits from an adequate supply of magnesium. Hundreds of biochemical reactions in your body depend on magnesium for optimum function. It supports a healthy immune system, maintains normal blood glucose levels, helps produce energy and protein, and maintains normal nerve and muscle function.
Remember, your body doesn’t make magnesium. It’s up to you to supply it. Try reducing processed foods and replacing them with magnesium-rich foods for a healthy heart and all of the fantastic benefits of magnesium!
