Magnesium Is The Most Important Mineral For Hypertension

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Magnesium is the most important mineral for hypertension

85 out of 100 cases of hypertension are associated with a lack of magnesium. By returning its content to the required parameters, it is possible to bring the pressure back to normal values.

However, not all doctors today prescribe such drugs to their patients who have been diagnosed with hypertension or another disease of the cardiovascular system. Often - just out of ignorance.

Meanwhile, magnesium helps to reduce blood pressure and keep it normal, thus improving well-being.

Content:

• For what pathologies is magnesium indicated?
• The role of electrolytes in the body
• Magnesium and cardiovascular risk
• Vegetovascular dystonia
• How to take magnesium for hypertension?
• Hypertension of pregnant women
• What foods contain magnesium?
• conclusions

For what pathologies can magnesium be indicated?

Magnesium deficiency leads to:

• From the side of the cardiovascular system: arrhythmia, microcirculation disorders, headaches, angina pectoris and tachycardia, a tendency to thrombosis and, of course, high blood pressure.
• Headaches, unmotivated feelings of fear, depression, dizziness, distraction and difficulty and concentration of attention, memory problems and confusion.
• Lack of magnesium is observed in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It can be associated with nausea and vomiting, it can cause constipation and diarrhea, diffuse abdominal pain, cramps in the stomach and intestines. Spasms of the sphincter of Oddi and increased tone of the uterus, as well as bronchospasm and eclampsia can also be manifestations of a lack of magnesium.

• Magnesium can cause ailments from the muscular system in the form of cramps in the back of the head, cramps of the facial and dorsal muscles, muscles of the calves, the effect of tetany ("obstetrician hands"), deafness and paresthesia of the extremities.

With sufficient intake of magnesium in the human body, it eliminates vascular spasms, relieves nervous tension. That is why intravenous injections of magnesium are prescribed, in other words - magnesium sulfate, during hypertensive crises. The effect becomes noticeable very quickly. However, magnesium is not always used in long-term therapy.

In this case, the effect of magnesium is similar to drugs from a series of drugs that block calcium channels. In fact, this is a natural calcium antagonist, but devoid of the side effects of synthetic drugs.

Magnesium ions (Mg2 +) are able to quickly bring blood pressure back to normal and normalize heart rate, prevent increased thrombus formation, slow down the formation of cholesterol plaques, and prevent calcium (“lime”) from accumulating on the walls of blood vessels.

The role of electrolytes in the body

Together with calcium, as well as potassium and sodium, magnesium is part of the electrolyte group. Their task is to maintain electrolyte balance. For this, it is necessary that the proportions of these substances in the cells are in a certain ratio.

With magnesium deficiency, there is an excess of calcium and sodium. A blood test for electrolytes helps determine this. Comparison of analyzes of sixty people who have just had an acute myocardial infarction and one hundred healthy people showed that in the first group sodium and calcium prevail in the blood. The second group showed a balance of all three electrolytes.

All this means that you should not impose strict restrictions on salt in the diet. The smarter route is to take magnesium. This will help restore the correct electrolyte ratio. However, overeating salt is also not recommended.

Magnesium also works to prevent anemia by regulating hemoglobin levels and eliminating iron deficiency. If the proportion of magnesium in plasma is fixed at 0.80 mmol per liter or less, the risk of iron deficiency anemia doubles. An indicator less than 1.50 mmol / l increases it fivefold.

The following symptoms indicate a lack of magnesium:

• increased blood pressure,
• arrhythmia,
• muscle cramps and spasms,
• constant fatigue
• insomnia,
• increased nervousness,
• frequent constipation
• difficult premenstrual period in women (PMS).

Magnesium and cardiovascular risk

In the United States of America, a study was conducted to study risk factors for the development of heart and vascular diseases, for 26 years, doctors monitored 88375 nurses. It turned out that if there is a lack of magnesium in the body, the risk of sudden death from pathologies of the heart and blood vessels increases by 37%. A decrease in the content of magnesium in blood plasma and in erythrocytes increases it. Lack of magnesium almost automatically guarantees the appearance of heart and vascular diseases in the future.

Magnesium deficiency leads to diseases such as hypertension, arrhythmia and coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, heart failure, provokes excessive blood clots, increasing blood viscosity.

Taking magnesium supplements can alleviate most of these problems. It helps to get rid of arrhythmias, as well as heart failure, reduce blood pressure and thin the blood.

The introduction of magnesium in post-infarction therapy increases the survival rate of patients. This is, indeed, a good assistant to cardiologists.

Vegetovascular dystonia and other diseases

Lowered blood pressure can also develop as a result of a lack of magnesium. In this case, the diagnosis of "vegetative-vascular dystonia" is possible.

Comparison of blood test data of 100 people with this pathology and 30 healthy people showed a magnesium deficiency in the first group. In them, the content of this element in plasma was determined at the level of 0.74 ± 0.28 mmol / l (the norm is 0.7-1.2), in urine - 67.73 ± 8.24 mmol / l (73-122).

When a certain substance is lacking, the body dramatically reduces its excretion in the urine to maintain balance. People with vegetative-vascular dystonia in this study showed persistent disruptions in electrolyte balance.

Lack of magnesium leads to decreased blood pressure and reduced muscle strength. And the more magnesium is contained in daily urine, the greater the risk of developing arterial hypertension. If you raise your concentration, the risk will decrease.

Despite the fact that the official norm of magnesium in plasma corresponds to 0.7-1.2 mmol / l, treatment is required already at parameters of 0.8 mmol / l. This will help reduce the high risk of developing heart and vascular diseases by 2-5 times. For a more accurate diagnosis, it is better to examine the blood for the magnesium content in erythrocytes.

A blood test of 2000 patients in hospitals in 7 regions of Russia showed that the number of diseases in a particular person directly depends on the degree of magnesium deficiency in his blood.

A value of less than 0.80 mmol / L increases the risk that seizures, tachycardia, mitral valve prolapse, unstable angina pectoris and arterial hypertension may develop.

Magnesium deficiency also leads to excess weight, contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus and related complications. Accordingly, in the presence of these diseases, a person runs the risk of dying prematurely.

How to take magnesium for hypertension?

About 20 clinical studies conducted by healthcare institutions show that high blood pressure medications are more effective with magnesium supplements.

Magnesium helps to reduce pressure by 3-15 millimeters of mercury. When the content of this substance in the body comes to a normal level, a person is able to quickly eliminate anxiety and insomnia. In combination with vitamin B6 in the treatment of hypertension, magnesium is even more effective!

A study was conducted during which hypertensive patients received 2.5 grams of magnesium chloride every day, that is, 450 elemental magnesium. For 4 months, blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels were monitored. It turned out that when they received magnesium, "good" cholesterol increased - it rose in the proportion of + 0.1 ± 0.6 millimoles per liter. For those who did not take magnesium, this figure decreased by -0.1 ± 0.7 millimoles per liter.

Magnesium supplements sold in pharmacies allow you to get enough of this mineral, lowering blood pressure. The "side effect" of such therapy is the elimination of other signs of magnesium deficiency.

According to experts, magnesium preparations may well become a full-fledged component of the therapy of hypertension without the use of medications. This will help reduce blood pressure and then keep it at a normal level while taking in vitamins, amino acids and minerals.

However, to obtain visible results, it is important to take magnesium in sufficiently high doses: at least 400 mg. pure magnesium per day, optimally - 600 mg.

But here there may be a problem with the dosage of drugs that are indicated on the funds of different manufacturers. This can be a dose of pure magnesium or a dose of magnesium salts.

Patients with renal insufficiency should study this information very carefully. And be wary of all drugs designed to lower blood pressure. Magnesium should be taken only under medical supervision, possibly in a hospital setting.

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Hypertension in pregnant women: prevention and treatment

During pregnancy, a lack of magnesium can provoke hypertension, as well as other manifestations of a difficult pregnancy. It is known that when a pregnant woman develops high blood pressure, as a rule, there is a lack of magnesium and potassium, while sodium is present in the blood in a comparative excess.

This does not mean that you should stop consuming salt altogether, as taking magnesium supplements helps restore electrolyte balance. And you don't have to stick to a salt-free diet. An advertisement for one of the magnesium preparations containing vitamin B6 is accompanied by the words: "You will love being pregnant."

Observations of women during their first pregnancy, who were prescribed three hundred grams of magnesium per day after the twenty-fifth week, showed that by the thirty-seventh week their blood pressure was lower than in the group who did not take the drug - by five millimeters of mercury. Another study, which observed one hundred and fifty pregnant women, showed a decrease in the frequency of manifestations of hypertension, an easier course of pregnancy and childbirth itself.

What foods contain magnesium?

Record-breaking products for magnesium content (per 100 g of product) steel:

• Sea urchins (including caviar) - 1016 mg
• Rice bran - 781 mg
• Wheat bran - 611 mg
• Sesame (white and black) 640 mg
• Pumpkin seeds - 535 mg
• Watermelon seeds - 515 mg
• Flax seeds - 392 mg
• Brazil nut - 376 mg (be careful, you can get selenium poisoning!)
• Cashew - 292 mg
• Almonds - 268 mg
• Pine nuts - 251 mg
• Peanuts - 176 mg
• Hazelnut - 163 mg
• Walnut - 158 mg
• Pistachios and Pecans 121 mg
• Sunflower seeds - 157-317 mg
• Cocoa powder - 25 mg in 1 teaspoon!
• Halibut - 107 mg
• Banana (1 pc.) - 80 mg

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conclusions

A fact that is well known to doctors: the injection of magnesium sulfate (magnesia) into a vein helps to quickly reduce blood pressure levels. This property is widely used by emergency doctors.

At the same time, the tablet form of magnesium intake is not so common. Doctors do not always suggest that patients use magnesium supplements with vitamin B6 in the treatment of hypertension. Of course, blood and urine should be checked before taking magnesium.

It has been noticed that taking magnesium increases the efficacy of conventional drugs for hypertension and even helps to cope with side effects. For example, with cardiac arrhythmias and atherosclerosis, which can develop. By taking magnesium tablets, the patient can avoid excessive excretion of magnesium in the urine. And also reduce the level of potassium in the blood, which can be increased by ACE inhibitors. It has been observed that taking magnesium along with other medications reduces their negative side effects.

Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist

Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".