Watering Your Heart: How a Little Magnesium May Help

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Watering Your Heart: How a Little Magnesium May Help

http://www.wholehealthmd.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=F4B4130C2BD847ACBFDEA959133627F5 & nm=Healing+Kitchen & type=AWHN_News & mod=News+Perspectives & tier=3 & id=C062C4165208423FB513A8465949C32D

High levels of magnesium in your drinking water may help to lower your your risk of death from a heart attack.

That's the conclusion of a national survey from Sweden. Data suggested that participants living in areas with the highest levels of magnesium in the drinking water had a 19% lower risk of death from heart attack than those who lived in areas with magnesium-poor water.

How the Study was Done

The Swedish national survey examined the magnesium content in drinking water in all municipalities. Researchers focused on 17 communities in southern Sweden whose water quality, based on water hardness, pH, and water treatment procedures, had been basically unchanged over the last 10 years.

The authors reviewed the records of men in their 50s and 60s who lived in the study area and who died between 1982 and 1989. A total of 854 men had died of heart attacks. These men were compared to a control group of 989 men who had died of cancer.

The subjects were divided into four groups based on how much magnesium and calcium was present in their drinking water. The number of deaths in the group with the highest level of magnesium was significantly lower in the heart attack group than in the cancer group. Calcium levels had no significant impact on heart health.

The Power of Magnesium

Magnesium appears to lower blood pressure and has been found to aid recovery after a heart attack by inhibiting blood clots, widening arteries, and normalizing dangerous heart arrhythmias.

Most people get magnesium through foods such as whole grains, seafood, beans, and leafy greens. Drinking water also supplies magnesium, though to a lesser degree than foods.

Despite the ready availability of magnesium in food and water, however, dietary intake of the mineral is generally below recommended levels. The RDA for magnesium is 350 mg for men and 280 mg for women, though higher doses are generally required for diease prevention or treatment, as well as for women who take oral contraceptives. For heart disease prevention, for example, about 400 mg a day is recommended by some practitioners. For arrhythmias or congestive heart failure, twice that amount may be appropriate.

It may be especially important to get magnesium though your tap water for two reasons. First, the magnesium in water is easily absorbed by the body. Second, loss of the mineral from food is lower when it is cooked in magnesium-rich water.

The researchers believe that future studies should investigate whether magnesium in drinking water is important for people in general, or if certain groups at high risk for heart attacks will benefit from high magnesium levels in drinking water.

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Magnesium and Potassium are two nutrients that are lacking in the avg Americans diet. As for Potassium, it can be found (in high concentrations) in sodium free chicken and beef bouillion (look at the ingrediants and make sure potassium chloride is the first or second ingrediant). Do not take extra potassium if you take spironolactone. __________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

On Saturday 16 December 2006 10:26 am, Tony Coranis wrote:

> Magnesium and Potassium are two nutrients that are lacking in the avg

> Americans diet.

>

> As for Potassium, it can be found (in high concentrations) in sodium free

> chicken and beef bouillon (look at the ingredients and make sure potassium

> chloride is the first or second ingrediant).

Bouillon normally has a lot of MSG, a neuro-toxin. Potassium capsules are

cheap. If you want a good source, bananas are the way to go if you are not

concerned much with blood surgar levels. There are other nutritional

choices.

I take 320 mg/day of extra magnesium and 3000 mg/day of extra potassium.

--

Steve - dudescholar3@...

" We will either find a way, or make one. "

--Hannibal Barca

[Guest guest]

You can also buy high dose (600mg) potassium capsules over the counter in canada. Yes, the boullion has monoammonium glutamate (same as monosodium glutamate from a health aspect). Also: I will up my potassium intake, do you feel different on it? I take 100mg magnesium citrate one or two a day. What is your opinion on the citrate (I know the oxide is not well absorbed)steve <dudescholar3@...> wrote: On Saturday 16 December 2006 10:26 am, Tony Coranis wrote:> Magnesium and Potassium are two nutrients that are lacking in the avg> Americans diet.>> As for Potassium, it can be found (in high concentrations) in sodium free> chicken and beef bouillon (look at the

ingredients and make sure potassium> chloride is the first or second ingrediant).Bouillon normally has a lot of MSG, a neuro-toxin. Potassium capsules are cheap. If you want a good source, bananas are the way to go if you are not concerned much with blood surgar levels. There are other nutritional choices.I take 320 mg/day of extra magnesium and 3000 mg/day of extra potassium.-- Steve - dudescholar3@..."We will either find a way, or make one."--Hannibal Barca

[Guest guest]

On Monday 18 December 2006 3:26 pm, Tony Coranis wrote:

> You can also buy high dose (600mg) potassium capsules over the counter in

> canada.

>

> Yes, the boullion has monoammonium glutamate (same as monosodium

> glutamate from a health aspect).

>

>

> Also: I will up my potassium intake, do you feel different on it?

>

>

> I take 100mg magnesium citrate one or two a day. What is your opinion on

> the citrate (I know the oxide is not well absorbed)

>

> steve <dudescholar3@...> wrote:

>

> On Saturday 16 December 2006 10:26 am, Tony Coranis wrote:

> > Magnesium and Potassium are two nutrients that are lacking in the avg

> > Americans diet.

> >

> > As for Potassium, it can be found (in high concentrations) in sodium free

> > chicken and beef bouillon (look at the ingredients and make sure

> > potassium chloride is the first or second ingrediant).

>

> Bouillon normally has a lot of MSG, a neuro-toxin. Potassium capsules are

> cheap. If you want a good source, bananas are the way to go if you are not

> concerned much with blood surgar levels. There are other nutritional

> choices.

>

> I take 320 mg/day of extra magnesium and 3000 mg/day of extra potassium.

My heart rate climes into the 90s and above if my potassium drops too low

whereas it normally is in the 70s. At 3000 mg/day of potassium, I don't have

any problems and my blood work shows potassium still below mid-normal. Too

high is not good and too low is not good. 3.5 is the cut off for too low but

many hospitals will treat you for potassium deficiency if it gets down to

3.8. Mine runs 4.2-4.5 and the normal lab range is 3.5 to 5.5.

I also drink about 24 oz of tomato juice a day when I take my supplements and

that gives me 2.7 grams of potassium. So between the supplements and tomato

juice, I'm getting at least 5.7 grams a day of potassium. A healthy cave-man

diet might give you close to 11 grams a day.

--

Steve - dudescholar3@...

" Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt

to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on

unreasonable people. "

-- Bernard Shaw