Magnesium: For High Blood Pressure, Heart Health and much more!

One out of every 3 people have high blood pressure. This is a common and very serious health concern, as uncontrolled hypertension can cause heart disease and increase your risk of having a stroke. It’s especially dangerous because it often has no warning signs or symptoms.

Magnesium is at the top of my list of recommendations for patients experiencing high blood pressure. I also recommend it for chronic migraines, restless leg syndrome,  frequent leg cramps, chronic constipation, chronic stress, diabetes and asthma. The research continues to demonstrate it’s importance for optimal health for just about anyone. Much of this research is centered on it’s benefits for cardiovascular disease.

Research clearly shows magnesium may reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension. Numerous epidemiological studies have reported more magnesium, potassium, and calcium may reduce your risk of hypertension.

Researchers recruited 155 people to take part in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. The subjects were randomly assigned to receive either daily supplements of magnesium oxide or a placebo for 12 weeks. They found significant decreases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure  in the magnesium group.

A review and meta-analysis published online on May 29, 2013 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition adds evidence to a protective effect for magnesium against the risk of cardiovascular disease, including fatal ischemic heart disease. (Del Gobbo)

Harvard researchers selected 16 studies that examined the association between serum magnesium or dietary magnesium with cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease and fatal ischemic heart disease. The studies included a total of 313,041 men and women, among whom 11,995 had cardiovascular disease and 7,534 had ischemic heart disease. There were 2,686 fatal ischemic heart disease events in the combined study populations.

The studies found a 30% lower risk of cardiovascular disease in association with each 0.2 micromole per liter increase in the mineral, as well as trends toward lower ischemic heart disease and fatal ischemic heart disease risk. Additionally, there was a 22% lower risk of ischemic heart disease with each 200 mg per day increase in magnesium intake.

Evidence to support the current findings has been provided by studies and trials that revealed improvement in vascular tone and endothelial function, reductions in platelet clotting, elevations in high density lipoprotein (HDL), better glucose balance and a decreased risk of stroke in association with higher levels of magnesium. While circulating levels of the mineral are responsive to supplementation or increased dietary intake, magnesium is under homeostatic regulation and levels may vary according to other factors. Authors Liana C. Del Gobbo and associates note, however, that the current findings support the importance of adequate dietary magnesium, and that magnesium intake by most is well below the recommended daily allowance.


Magnesium Supports Heart Health Because it Helps:

Dilate blood vessels
Prevent spasm in your heart muscle and blood vessel walls
Counteract the action of calcium, which increases spasm
Dissolve blood clots
Dramatically lessen the site of injury and prevent arrhythmia
Act as an antioxidant against the free radicals forming at the site of injury


Signs You Are Lacking Magnesium

Up to 80% of the population is deficient in this important mineral, according to Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, author of The Miracle of Magnesium.

There is no lab test that will give an accurate reading of the magnesium status in your tissues. Only 1% of magnesium in your body is distributed in your blood, making a simple sample of magnesium from a blood test often highly inaccurate. That's why most doctors who rely on blood tests for magnesium, and not magnesium deficiency signs and symptoms and the realization that up to 80% of the population is deficient, will miss an important diagnosis.
With that in mind, some early signs of magnesium deficiency to keep an eye out for include:
       Loss of appetite
        Nausea and vomiting
        Fatigue and weakness
        Constipation
        High blood pressure

    An ongoing magnesium deficiency can lead to:
        Numbness and tingling
        Muscle contractions/twitches and cramps
        Seizures
        Personality changes
        Abnormal heart rhythms
        Coronary spasms

If you suspect you are low in magnesium, the best way to consume this mineral is through organically bound magnesium. Foods high in magnesium include:

Avocados               Leafy green vegetables
Almonds                Halibut/Mackeral
Some beans           Cocoa
Cashews                Pumpkin seeds  
Peas                       Boiled spinach

Supplemental dosages range from 200 to 800 mg daily. If you experience loose stools you should reduce your dosage.

If you are taking medication for high blood pressure. there is no reason you cannot supplement magnesium and in fact, doctors who are up to date on their nutrition will recommend it if you ask them. Show them this article if they are not. You may be able to reduce your dosage on your medication... which is a very good thing as all drugs do have side effects. Magnesium has no risk of side effects unless you take way too much.... which will result in loose stools, so you will know to simply reduce your dosage.

I recommend Drs. Best High Absorption Magnesium, 100 mg each. I take 2 in the am and 2 in the pm daily. You probably should too!

 http://recipesforlifewithdrbeth.com/magnesium.php


References
Campbell NR1, Burgess E, et al. Lifestyle modifications to prevent and control hypertension. 1. Methods and an overview of the Canadian recommendations. Canadian Hypertension Society, Canadian Coalition for High Blood Pressure Prevention and Control, Laboratory Centre for Disease Control at Health Canada, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. CMAJ. 1999 May 4;160(9 Suppl):S1-6.
Del Gobbo LC, Imamura F, et al.  Circulating and dietary magnesium and risk of cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Jul;98(1):160-73. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.053132.
Houston MC1, Harper KJ. Potassium, magnesium, and calcium: their role in both the cause and treatment of hypertension. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2008 Jul;10(7 Suppl 2):3-11.
Houston M., The role of magnesium in hypertension and cardiovascular disease. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2011 Nov;13(11):843-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-7176.2011.00538.x. Epub 2011 Sep 26.
Lee,  ,  Park, HK, et al Effects of oral magnesium supplementation on insulin sensitivity and blood pressure in normo-magnesemic nondiabetic overweight Korean adults.  Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, Volume 19, Issue 11, December 2009, 781–788.
Mortazavi M, Moeinzadeh F, Saadatnia M, et al., Effect of magnesium supplementation on carotid intima-media thickness and flow-mediated dilatation among hemodialysis patients: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Eur Neurol. 2013;69(5):309-16.

My top antiaging supplement pick!

 Hello and welcome to my blog!

I have been doing a lot of research on telomeres lately. Telomeres are tiny pieces of genetic code at the end of each strand of DNA in all of our cells. They are like a biological clock. Each time your cells divide, telomeres get a bit shorter, ticking away and telling your cells how old to act. The longer your telomeres are results in slowing down the aging process and increasing resistance to almost every  health problem.

Turns out that certain things shorten telemores and other things lengthen them!  Stress, poor nutrition (nutritional deficiencies, etc.), exposure to free radicals, high blood sugar and inflammation all shorten telomeres.

Too much blood sugar, caused by eating grains and other starchy carbs, and sugary foods, causes you to produce lots of insulin to break down the sugar. Insulin then stimulates the body to store this sugar in fat cells … but insulin also increases inflammation. Telomeres are very susceptible to shortening due to inflammation from insulin.¹

One study found that the more insulin you’ve produced, the shorter your telomeres will be.² 

^{Telomerase is an enzyme which activates telomere lengthening. As it turns out, numerous nutrients turn on this enzyme or help prevent shortening from exposure to inflammation, free radicals: B Vitamins, Vitamins C and D,  Zinc, Magnesium, Omega-3's and all antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients such as Alpha Lipoic Acid, Astaxanthin, Green Tea, Ginger, Resveratrol, Grape seed extract, Curcumin, Boswellia and MSM, etc.}

^{However, new research with one nutritional supplement stands out from all the others: Chlorella.  Research with Chlorella resulted in a significant decrease in DNA damage suggesting a protective effect against free radical attacks. In cells induced with oxidative stress, telomere length decreased significantly coupled with a concomitant decline of telomerase activity. However, these reductions were prevented with prior and
post treatment of Chlorella supplementation. Therefore, the researchers concluded that Chlorella  exhibited bioprotective effects  as indicated by DNA damage, telomere shortening and reduction in telomerase activity. 3}

^{Chlorella helps detox the body due to it's high chlorella content, is rich in nutrients and is in fact, what I use for my daily "multi." It contains all essential vitamins, all minerals, all amino acids, essential fats, phytochemicals, plus Chlorella Growth Factor which was already known to protect our DNA (which makes it very protective against cancer). This new research provides more evidence of its amazing benefits.}

^{Chlorella is also great to help raise pH, further protecting us against health problems!}

^{To order the top quality chlorella supplement I recommend, click here:  http://recipesforlifewithdrbeth.com/vegachlorella.php}

^{For more information on Chlorella: Check out my book http://recipesforlifewithdrbeth.com/chlorella.php}

^References:

<sup>1. Serra V, Grune T, Sitte N, Saretzki G, von Zglinicki T. "Telomere length as a marker of oxidative stress in primary human fibroblast cultures." Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000;908:327-30.
2. Al-Attas OS et al, “Adiposity and insulin resistance correlate with telomere length in middle-aged Arabs: the influence of circulating adiponectin.” Eur J Endocrinol. 2010;163(4):601-7.
3. Suzana Makpol, Nadia Yaacob, et al, CHLORELLA VULGARIS MODULATES HYDROGEN PEROXIDE-INDUCED DNA DAMAGE AND TELOMERE SHORTENING OF HUMAN FIBROBLASTS DERIVED FROM DIFFERENT AGED
INDIVIDUALS, Makpol et al., Afr. J. Trad. CAM (2009) 6 (4): 560 - 572 560.</sup>
 

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