Magnesium and Heart Health (various studies)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA. Researchers at the University of North Carolina have found that magnesium injections lower the frequency and severity of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with heart failure. Twenty-one men and nine women aged 49 +9.6 years participated in the double-blind, placebo- controlled crossover experiment. The active treatment consisted of one injection of 0.3 mEq/kg magnesium chloride in 5 per cent dextrose in water followed by continuous infusion of a dextrose/water magnesium chloride solution (0.08 mEq/kg per hour) over 24 hours. The placebo treatment was similar except that the magnesium chloride was omitted from the dextrose/water solution. The number of PVCs (premature ventricular contractions) per hour was reduced by 53 per cent in the magnesium group as compared to the placebo group; the number of episodes of ventricular tachycardia was reduced by 69 per cent and in the patients who did have such episodes the heart rate was significantly lower than during placebo treatment (143 beats/minute vs. 179 beats/minute). The researchers recommend that a larger study be undertaken to determine if oral administration of magnesium would have similar benefits.
Sueta, Carla A., et al. Effect of acute magnesium administration on the frequency of ventricular arrhythmia in patients with heart failure. Circulation, Vol. 89, No. 2, February 1994, pp. 660-66
Magnesium helps recovery after bypass surgery
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. Patients having undergone coronary bypass surgery often suffer from ventricular dysrhythmias and decreased stroke volume immediately after the operation. Medical doctors at the Sinai Hospital of Baltimore have now found that supplementation with magnesium markedly decreases the frequency of these serious complications. One hundred patients were studied over a 6-month period; 50 were given an intravenous infusion of magnesium chloride (2 grams) immediately after the operation while the other 50 were given a placebo. The magnesium treated patients suffered significantly fewer ventricular dysrhythmias (16% vs. 34%) than did the untreated patients.
Journal of the American Medical Association, November 4, 1992, pp. 2395-2402
TUCSON, ARIZONA. Researchers at the University Medical Center in Tucson have confirmed that magnesium deficiency is closely associated with cardiovascular disease. Lowered serum magnesium concentrations have been found in heart attack patients and administration of magnesium has proven beneficial in treating ventricular arrhythmias, particularly those caused by digoxin toxicity.
American Heart Journal, October 1992, pp. 1113-18
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. Sudden fatal heart attacks claim over 300,000 victims each year in the U.S. alone. Fatal heart attacks are more common in areas where the water supply is magnesium deficient. Dr. Eisenberg at the University of California now suggests that there is a definite link between magnesium deficiency and sudden fatal heart attacks. He points out that the average human body contains about 24 grams of magnesium and requires a daily intake of 200-400 milligrams. The actual average intake through food and drinking water is often significantly less than the requirement particularly in areas having a supply of soft drinking water. The doctor recommends large scale studies to evaluate the potential benefits of oral magnesium supplementation.
American Heart Journal, August 1992, pp. 544-49
