Lack of Magnesium Increases the Risk of Heart Disease and Diabetes

Looking for a way to reduce the chances of developing type 2 diabetes, stroke, and coronary heart disease? Well, according to one research, magnesium can help do that. Researchers gave an extra 100mg of this mineral a day to people across 9 countries and revealed something amazing. Their risk of type 2 diabetes was 26% lower, the risk of stroke 12% lower, and that of coronary heart disease 10% lower than before. So, this research proves the link between dietary magnesium and the risk of disease. Currently, the recommended daily value of magnesium is 300mg for men and 270mg for women. However, the lead author of the research, Fudi Wang, explains that a lot of people are still deficient in this mineral. In fact, around 1.5-15% of the population has a magnesium deficiency, which means a higher risk of related health issues.

Cholesterol and Saturated Fat Are Not the True Culprits of Heart Disease – It’s Magnesium Deficiency

Andrea Rosanoff, Ph.D., conducted a 10-year review based on Dr. Seelig’s earlier 40-year long research on the link between magnesium and cardiovascular disease. So, Dr. Seelig discovered that lack of magnesium is related to all cardiovascular risk factors. They include high blood pressure and cholesterol, hardening of the arteries, arterial plaque build-up, and calcification of soft tissues. So, it’s more than clear that it’s not cholesterol or diet high in saturated fat that causes heart disease, but lack of magnesium. Still, researchers took the wrong turn, focusing on other things instead of magnesium for years.

More Compelling Evidence

Carolyn Dean, a medical and naturopathic doctor, lists the 6 major chronic conditions linked to low magnesium levels:

1. High blood pressure
2. Type 2 Diabetes
3. Problems optimizing cholesterol levels
4. Heart arrhythmia
5. Angina
6. Heart attack

One 2017 study discovered that high blood pressure is inversely related to magnesium in Argentinean children living in higher altitude areas. In addition, 3-month research showed that supplementing with magnesium improves the metabolic status of pre-diabetic and obese people with mild chronic kidney disease.

Why Is Magnesium Intake so Important?

The vice-chair and professor of surgery at Columbia University, Dr. Mehmet Oz, explains that magnesium is vital for the regulation of metabolism, as well as for dilating arteries and reducing blood pressure. In fact, he says three out of four people in the U.S. can’t get the proper amount of magnesium. This, in turn, means they are deficient in this important mineral. Even though the WHO recommends 400-500mg of calcium, Carolyn advises 1-to-1 balance with magnesium. What’s more, she advises taking calcium through the diet, with vitamin D and K2 doses added in between to protect the heart and bones. In addition, Wang’s research suggests that consuming foods high in magnesium is beneficial for our overall health. This mineral is crucial for normal biological functions like protein production, glucose metabolism, and the synthesis of DNA and other nucleic acids. Moreover, it ensures proper nerve and muscle function, good bone and teeth formation, relaxed blood vessels, and Everyday Health. So, the main source of this mineral should be our diet as we can find it in many foods.

Foods High in Magnesium

These are some of the best magnesium-rich foods we should consider adding to our diet:

• Collard greens
• Spinach
• Turnip greens
• Swiss chard
• Beet greens
• Bok choy
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Kale
• Avocados
• Romaine lettuce
• Squash
• Raw cacao
• Nuts and seeds (sunflower and pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts)
• Fruits and berries
• Fatty fish

We hope we’ll start adding more of these foods to our diet to get the necessary magnesium our body needs to perform over 300 bodily functions as well as reduce the risk of many chronic conditions.