Magnesium and Blood Pressure. As today is Feb 29th, the last day of Heart Month, I thought it would be appropriate to bring to light a new study which came out February 8th, 2012 in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This meta-analysis looked specifically at the effects Magnesium has on blood pressure. They looked at 22 different trials which had 1173 participants’ in total. They found that magnesium decreased systolic blood pressure by 3-4 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 2-3 mmHg. They also found that the greater the dose the larger the decrease in blood pressure. As a naturopathic doctor I have been routinely prescribing the use of magnesium for patients with high blood pressure as well as various other supplements and specific diets such as the DASH diet.
However, blood pressure is only one factor in heart health. When meeting with patients regarding heart health I always make sure to address and/or include blood pressure, cholesterol, family history, exercise history, stress levels, caffeine, salt, refined sugar consumption as well as vegetable consumption. Having a complete history is important as it allows me to prescribe a comprehensive and individualized treatment plan which will be best for the patient. Though February and Heart Month end tonight, remember that Cardiovascular disease kills people every day and and maybe it is time to start thinking about your own heart health and the effects magnesium can have on your blood pressure.
You can read the abstract to the study here.
