Magnesium & Disease Prevention

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Large epidemiologic studies suggest a relationship between magnesium and blood pressure. However, the fact that foods high in magnesium (fruits, vegetables, whole grains) are frequently high in potassium and dietary fiber has made it difficult to evaluate independent effects of magnesium on blood pressure. A study of more than 30,000 male health professionals found an inverse association between dietary fiber, potassium, and magnesium, and the development of hypertension over a four-year period. In a similar study of more than 40,000 female registered nurses, dietary fiber and dietary magnesium were inversely associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressures in those who did not develop hypertension over the four-year study period, but neither dietary fiber nor magnesium was related to the risk of developing hypertension. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study examined the dietary intake and blood levels of magnesium in 7,731 men and women and the development of hypertension over a six-year period. The risk of developing hypertension in men and women decreased as serum magnesium levels increased but the trend was only statistically significant in women. Although the investigators found no association between dietary magnesium and the incidence of hypertension, they suggested that low serum magnesium levels may play a modest role in the development of hypertension.

Cardiovascular diseases

A number of studies have found decreased mortality from cardiovascular diseases in populations who routinely consume "hard" water. Hard (alkaline) water is generally high in magnesium, but may also contain more calcium and fluoride than "soft" water, making the cardioprotective effects of hard water difficult to attribute to magnesium alone. One large prospective study (almost 14,000 men and women) found a significant trend for increasing serum magnesium levels to be associated with decreased risk of coronary heart disease in women, but not in men. However, the risk of coronary heart disease in the lowest quartile of dietary magnesium intake was not significantly different than the risk in the highest quartile in men or women. Presently, the relationship between dietary magnesium intake and the risk of cardiovascular diseases remains unclear.

See also: