Magnesium prevents calcium buildup in cholesterol plaque in arteries, which leads to clogged arteries. Magnesium levels are inversely associated with cardiovascular disease risk.
As such, magnesium potentially has a major influence on the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. As the kidney is a major regulator of magnesium homeostasis, kidney disorders can potentially lead to both magnesium depletion and overload, and as such increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Low magnesium levels usually don't cause symptoms. However, chronically low levels can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. Too much magnesium from foods isn't a concern for healthy adults. However, the same can't be said for supplements.
Magnesium has been shown to have a strong relationship to cardiovascular health. One previously reviewed study showed how magnesium uses the same pathway as statins to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol to reduce inflammation, clotting, and plaque formation in the arteries.
Magnesium helps regulate hundreds of body systems, including blood pressure, blood sugar, and muscle and nerve function. We need magnesium to help blood vessels relax, and for energy production, and bone development.
Magnesium prevents calcium buildup in cholesterol plaque in arteries, which leads to clogged arteries. Magnesium levels are inversely associated with cardiovascular disease risk.
Moreover, oral magnesium therapy has been shown to improve endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease. Magnesium, which is an inexpensive, natural and rather safe element, could be useful in preventing atherosclerosis and as an adjuvant therapy in patients with clinical manifestations of the disease.
You can take steps to reduce plaques by losing weight, exercising more, or eating fewer foods high in saturated fat. In some cases, doctors may also prescribe medications to lower cholesterol.
An atherectomy is a procedure to remove plaque from an artery (blood vessel). Removing plaque makes the artery wider, so blood can flow more freely to the heart muscles. In an atherectomy, the plaque is shaved or vaporized away with tiny rotating blades or a laser on the end of a catheter (a thin, flexible tube).
The key is lowering LDL and making lifestyle changes.
"Making plaque disappear is not possible, but we can shrink and stabilize it," says cardiologist Dr. Christopher Cannon, a Harvard Medical School professor. Plaque forms when cholesterol (above, in yellow) lodges in the wall of the artery.
Magnesium Helps Your Heart Keep the Beat
Electrolytes are all-important for nerve signals and the muscle contractions of a normal heartbeat. Research shows that magnesium deficiency, or restricted magnesium intake, increases irregular heartbeats known as arrhythmias.
People with diabetes, intestinal disease, heart disease or kidney disease should not take magnesium before speaking with their health care provider. Overdose. Signs of a magnesium overdose can include nausea, diarrhea, low blood pressure, muscle weakness, and fatigue. At very high doses, magnesium can be fatal.
According to the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements , healthy adult men should generally consume 400 to 420 milligrams (mg) of magnesium daily. Healthy adult women should consume 310 to 320 mg daily. Pregnant women are recommended to consume a higher dose than women who aren't pregnant.
Nassar says that taking a magnesium supplement every day likely isn't unsafe for most people. Just be sure you're not taking too much magnesium. The maximum dietary allowance for most adults is around 400 mg or less.
Magnesium has been reported to decrease total serum cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, and very low density lipoprotein, and increase high density lipoprotein.
Magnesium intake has been shown to correct low-magnesium-related arrhythmias. For example, intravenous (IV) magnesium is routinely used before many heart surgeries that are known to induce postoperative arrhythmias. Oral magnesium is often recommended for those with arrhythmias and low magnesium levels.
A healthy diet rich in nutrient-dense foods may help reduce your risk of developing clogged arteries. Research has shown that adding foods like cruciferous vegetables, fish, berries, olive oil, oats, onions, greens, and beans to your diet may be an effective way to prevent atherosclerosis.
If you have the gumption to make major changes to your lifestyle, you can, indeed, reverse coronary artery disease. This disease is the accumulation of cholesterol-laden plaque inside the arteries nourishing your heart, a process known as atherosclerosis.
Through angioplasty, our cardiologists are able to treat patients with blocked or clogged coronary arteries quickly without surgery. During the procedure, a cardiologist threads a balloon-tipped catheter to the site of the narrowed or blocked artery and then inflates the balloon to open the vessel.
Animal and cell studies suggest that magnesium may prevent calcification within atherosclerotic plaques underlying cardiovascular disease. Little is known about the association of magnesium intake and atherosclerotic calcification in humans.
Magnesium might slow blood clotting. Taking magnesium along with medications that also slow clotting might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding.
The inverse association of magnesium intake and stroke is consistent with a meta-analysis of 7 prospective studies. They reported an 8% reduced stroke risk per 100 mg/d dietary magnesium increment.
Long-term magnesium supplementation improves arterial stiffness, a cardiovascular disease risk marker. Effects on endothelial function may be another mechanism whereby increased magnesium intakes affect cardiovascular risk.