Magnesium For Heart Health

Earlier this week I returned from a trip to my hometown Riga. I was booked for a modelling job and also had to help out a few clients. As always, it was great catching with family and friends but one thing that was really important to me was to spend some time with my grandmother. She is 76 and has coronary heart disease that resulted in suffering a heart attack last year. Things are looking better but what really worries me is the chest pain that she keeps having. In medical terms it’s called angina and it occurs when the blood supply to the muscles of the heart is restricted.

I am doing all I can to help her by sending her supplements such as multivitamins, Omega-3, CoQ10, and also teaching her about nutrition, and what she should do in order to help her body heal and get stronger. It has made a big difference, and what I brought her on this visit had an even bigger effect on how she feels, hence, I would like to share it with you.

As you may know, I am very lucky to be sponsored by Optimum Nutrition, and their products have taken my training to another level. However, many people seem to think that supplements are meant only for athletes and fitness fanatics. In reality, this is a very distorted point of view, because the one thing that comes first and foremost is our health, and certain supplements can have a massive effect on our health indeed.

The supplement I brought to my grandma is called ZMA. It’s a blend of zinc, magnesium & vitamin B6. Magnesium is the key ingredient in this formula, and its importance in diet is widely known. The most amazing thing is that one week after starting using it my grandma is reporting that no angina attacks has happened within this period, and if there is any tension present in her chest area, it lasts for a very short time, and doesn’t result in actual chest pain. She also says that her blood pressure has lowered, and she sleeps much better. This is incredibly gratifying to me, and I’m determined to keep looking for ways to improve her condition even more.

Benefits of Magnesium

As a vital component within our cells, magnesium can help us not only improve our heart health, and lower blood pressure, but also to recover from tough workouts, avoid illness, and maintain a general state of good health. It is known to relieve muscle soreness, lessen pain associated with migraine headaches, improve sleep, and address neurological disorders such as anxiety and depression. Magnesium may also provide protection from a number of other chronic diseases, especially those associated with aging and stress. In conjunction with vitamin B-6, it may help in the removal of kidney stones.

Your cells need a steady supply of magnesium to maintain proper smooth muscle function in your blood vessels. In addition, magnesium supplements can help your body shuttle potassium and sodium, two other essential electrolytes, into and out of cells, maintaining proper balance (homeostasis). Magnesium deficiencies can lead to muscle weakness and tremors (spasm) and a host of cardiovascular problems ranging from high blood pressure to arrhythmias.

Magnesium Absorption

Medical scientists use this term to refer to the intake of magnesium into the blood stream through mechanisms in the small intestines. Less magnesium eliminated in the GI tract, therefore, equals more magnesium absorbed. Let’s examine the many factors influencing magnesium absorption.

Foods:

Foods that may help you absorb magnesium include:

• Fructose and complex carbohydrates
• Protein, with the exception of unfermented soy products
• Medium chain triglycerides, or MCTs, such as coconut oil and palm oil
• Fermentable or soluble fibers, such as fiber from fruits and vegetables, which may enhance magnesium to small degree in the healthy large intestine

Foods that hinder magnesium absorption include:

• Non-fermentable or insoluble fiber, such as whole grain, bran and seeds
• Foods high in phytates, such as whole flours and grains, bran, the hulls of seeds and nuts, and un-sprouted beans and soy
• Foods high in oxalates, such as spinach, leafy greens, nuts, tea, coffee and cacao

The above list should be viewed with caution and reservation when selecting foods, however. It doesn't mean that you should avoid these foods, just don't take magnesium supplements with them. In many cases, foods that contain high fiber, phytic acid or oxalic acid are also high in absorbable forms of magnesium. For example, choosing high fiber grains, which are high in magnesium, will typically provide better intake and absorption of magnesium than choosing low fiber grains that are low in magnesium, including anything that’s made of white flour.

The following cooking procedures can increase magnesium absorption:

• Soaking grains and beans before cooking
• Sprouting beans
• Cooking foods high in oxalic acid, such as spinach and leafy greens, rather than eating them raw

In addition, foods with diuretic properties, such as coffee, tea and alcohol, tend to reduce available magnesium in the bloodstream, due to the action of these foods to increase the excretion of fluids by the kidneys.

Vitamins and Minerals:

Minerals are generally known to have an antagonistic or competitive effect when it comes to absorption. Thus high intake of any of the following minerals could potentially reduce magnesium bioavailability:

• Calcium
• Phosphorous
• Iron
• Copper
• Manganese

Particularly of concern are diets that contain both high calcium and phosphate. Studies have shown that in diets high in both calcium and phosphate, insoluble magnesium-calcium-phosphate complexes are formed, impairing absorption.

One example of a diet high in minerals found to impair magnesium bioavailability would be one high in both milk and phosphorous-containing carbonated beverages. Researchers have noted that high intake of sodas have placed many members of the population at risk for magnesium deficiencies, let alone the wide range of problems associated with high sugar consumption.

How Much Magnesium Shall I Take?

Though a person with healthy kidneys is adept at handling excessive magnesium intake — making magnesium toxicity a truly rare phenomenon — the body appears less adept at coping with a magnesium deficient state. A small amount of magnesium storage is available in the bones, yet deficiencies can occur after as little as one week of insufficient intake.

The amount provided by one serving of ZMA (450mg) should be appropriate for most individuals, provided that enough magnesium is also being consumed by following a healthy and balanced diet. Also, I suggest paying attention to the form of magnesium in the supplement, and avoiding inferior sources such as magnesium oxide. If you’d like to do more research on this, you may want to consult the interesting study “Dietary Factors Influencing Magnesium Absorption in Humans”.

Last but not least, I’m able to offer my clients and subscribers 40% off Optimum Nutrition products (non-sale items) such as ZMA with my personal discount code WIK40