Magnesium Insufficiency and Cardiovascular Disease Risk

In a recent analysis published in Nutrients, researchers summarized what is known regarding the relationship between magnesium insufficiency and the severity of cardiovascular disease.

Their findings suggest that magnesium insufficiency can lead to cardiovascular disease, emphasizing the importance of addressing the widespread magnesium deficiency.

Magnesium benefits cardiovascular health

The function of magnesium in cardiovascular health has only lately received widespread attention. Historically, it was thought that the body could regulate magnesium levels through enhanced absorption and decreased urine loss, making magnesium shortage appear uncommon.

In 2004, the World Health Organization and specialists concluded that there was no compelling evidence linking magnesium deficiency to bad health. However, more recent research has questioned this notion, claiming that insufficient magnesium consumption can contribute to cardiovascular disease.

Magnesium shortage, characterized by cardiac arrhythmia, was first experimentally generated in animals in 1932. While magnesium insufficiency was recognized in some health disorders, it wasn’t until the 1970s that research suggested a broader influence on heart health.

By the 1980s, the term “chronic latent magnesium deficiency” had emerged, recognizing that low magnesium levels might remain without obvious symptoms while still affecting health over time. Subsequent research in the 1990s and early 2000s discovered that reduced magnesium consumption has a deleterious impact on cardiovascular function.

Since 2006, multiple studies have found an inverse link between magnesium levels and cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension, heart failure, stroke, and heart attack. Magnesium supplementation has been demonstrated to lower blood pressure and lessen the risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly in people with diabetes or renal disease.

Underlying mechanisms

Chronic latent magnesium shortage can contribute to cardiovascular disease through a variety of methods. Magnesium is essential for approximately 600 enzymatic activities and regulates the ion channels that control calcium, potassium, and sodium flow within cells. This affects smooth muscle contraction, heart rate, blood pressure, and vascular tone.

Inadequate magnesium can cause inflammation, as evidenced by animal studies in which magnesium deprivation increased levels of inflammatory cytokines and proteins. Human studies have found that decreased magnesium consumption is associated with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), a sign of chronic inflammation and a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Magnesium shortage also causes oxidative stress, which is an imbalance between damaging reactive oxygen species and antioxidants that can result in tissue damage and atherosclerosis.

Magnesium also plays a role in lipid metabolism, and a lack of it can cause aberrant cholesterol levels, which contribute to cardiovascular disease. Another complication is endothelial dysfunction, which affects the inner lining of blood vessels, increasing atherosclerosis and hypertension.

Furthermore, magnesium insufficiency disturbs electrolyte balance, notably calcium and potassium, which causes enhanced inflammatory responses, elevated blood pressure, and arrhythmias.

According to research, magnesium supplementation can help with some of these difficulties, implying that even slight magnesium insufficiency can have serious cardiovascular consequences.

Preventing Cardiovascular Disease

Magnesium is essential for preventing cardiovascular problems since it regulates heart health and plays other important roles in the body. When magnesium intake is low, the body increases absorption and decreases excretion, and when intake is high, the opposite occurs. This adaptive mechanism makes it difficult to determine specific magnesium requirements.

In 1997, the United States established recommended magnesium daily values, with adult women requiring 310-320 mg and men 410-420 mg.

However, more recent studies utilizing better data from controlled conditions suggest that the ideal consumption for most adults may be approximately 245-250 mg/day, with larger demands for people weighing more than 76 kg (168 lbs), such as those who are overweight or obese.

Psychological stress, high calcium consumption, and dietary choices, such as high fiber or phytate intake, can all have an impact on magnesium demands.

Conditions such as inflammation and oxidative stress may raise magnesium demand, affecting cardiovascular function. The magnesium depletion score, which accounts for characteristics such as diuretic usage and alcohol use, is a more recent measure of magnesium deficiency hazards associated with cardiovascular disease.

Current surveys suggest that many persons consume less magnesium than advised. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), approximately 45% of persons fall short of the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR), with higher shortfalls among women and those with poor eating habits.

Conclusions
Several studies, including epidemiological research, meta-analyses, randomized trials, and controlled experiments, as well as supporting animal and lab-based findings, provide strong evidence that mild to moderate magnesium deficiencies, as well as chronic latent deficiency, significantly contribute to the development and severity of cardiovascular diseases.

Because many people do not consume enough magnesium-rich foods to prevent insufficiency, solving this issue is a major priority.

For more information: Nielsen, F.H. (2024) The role of dietary magnesium in cardiovascular  disease. Nutrients. doi: 10.3390/nu16234223. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/23/4223