Magnesium Levels and the Heart: The Benefits
Magnesium and the Heart: The Benefits and the Risks of Low Magnesium.Magnesium levels and the heart. If I had to name a mineral that was the “most” important in heart health, it would be magnesium. It is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control that over half of the America’s population is deficient in magnesium. One of the reasons for this deficient is because of the way the food is farmed and processed.
Magnesium is Excellent For the Heart
Having low magnesium levels increasing the risk of a person having many cardiac disorders including cardiac arrest. According to research evidence, the majority of people with a diagnosis of cardiac disease or cardiac disorders have a deficiency in magnesium. There are many other disorders associated with low magnesium levels including type 2 diabetes, autoimmune disorders, thyroid disorders, and some pancreatic disorders.
Magnesium deficiency is linked to :
- Arrhythmia – I would estimate that 95% of the people who come through the emergency department has a low magnesium or potassium level.
- High Blood Pressure
- Chest Pain
- High cholesterol
- Stroke
The ideal magnesium supplement to use is magnesium taurate.
Optimum Magnesium Levels: Magnesium and Heart Disease
Whenever I work in the Emergency Department, we always perform a chemistry panel on a patient, and this panel usually includes a magnesium serum level. However, a serum magnesium level is the wrong kind of test to perform. This is because only 1% of magnesium is in the blood. The majority of magnesium is in the bone. Often times, we will treat the serum level because it is low. You can bet that if the serum is low, the person has a significant magnesium deficiency.
The correct lab test is called the Magnesium RBC test. RBC magnesium tests the level of magnesium inside of the Red Blood Cells inside your bloodstream. The regular magnesium serum level measures the magnesium in the blood.
Magnesium Taurate For Heart Arrhythmias
Magnesium Taurate is the preferred form of magnesium to use for people with heart disease. I have used magnesium taurate. Within three days, my PVC’s and my palpitations were gone. Magnesium taurate is helpful because taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that is beneficial to the heart. Taurine protects against ischemia-reperfusion injury and it modulates intracellular calcium concentration.
Taurine is beneficial for the following disorders:
- Congestive heart failure
- High blood pressure
- Ischemic heart disease
- Diabetic cardiomyopathy
- Atherosclerosis
However, people need to use the magnesium that they are able to tolerate. Magnesium has to taken to bowel tolerance. The dosages are usually 5mg for every pound that you weigh. The least absorbed is magnesium oxide.
How Much Magnesium for an Irregular Heartbeat
I take Cardiovascular Research brand of Magnesium Taurate
- My PVC’s are decreased 90%
- My blood pressure has decreased significantly. I used to have a blood pressure of 240/120 in my twenties. My doctor could not understand it, and the only thing they could do was to give me more and more blood pressure pills. I truly believe this onslaught of medications at an early age totally depleted my body of nutrients.
- I sometimes have non-sustained VTach as a result of my congenital heart defect. I get them occasionally of I forget to take my magnesium.
- Magnesium relaxes me
- Magnesium helps my joint pain
- Helps migraine headaches.
Magnesium is a miracle mineral for the heart. In fact, the heart cannot function without. Low magnesium is one of the leading causes of heart problems. Studies have shown that 85% of patients that has a sudden cardiac arrest had low magnesium. Have you experienced low magnesium? Tell me about it in the comment section.
My name is Phyllis Robinson MSN, RN. I have been a Registered Nurse for 27 years in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. I am passionate about cardiac care and heart disease. I also want this blog to be an educational tool that people can refer to for traditional and alternative treatment. I will blog on heart disorders such as high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, and high cholesterol.
I received my Nursing degree from Baltimore Community College.
I went on to receive my Masters in Nursing from Walden University
I have worked for almost 30 years in Critical Care with a focus on heart health. I am an advocate of preventive healthcare.
[…] Magnesium is a wonderful mineral for the heart. There are many types of magnesium that are available. Research has shown that people who have sudden cardiac death have a magnesium deficiency. Supplements are a wonderful source to get the daily required magnesium. […]