cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease, of which arterial plaque is a hallmark, is actually your body's way to compensate for not having enough cholesterol sulfate.

Magnesium is also employed in cardiac patients, in order to compensate for the increased magnesium excretion under diuretics or digitalis treatment.

Early studies showed that patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) are Mg deficient and this deficiency increases during the acute phase of infarction. Later studies showed that Mg infusion in patients with suspected acute MI can prolong survival, and a meta-analysis of several of these studies suggested that the reduction in mortality is 25% to 50%. The Mg ion has multiple effects on the myocardium, among them antiplatelet, antiarrhythmic, and coronary vasodilator effects. However, its efficacy for prolonging post-MI survival is probably due to its ability to preserve left ventricular function by reducing Ca-mediated ischemic damage.

A december 2005 study confirms that C-reactive protein (CRP) has emerged as one of the most powerful predictors of heart disease. Why is this important? Because CRP is an indicator of inflammation. And it is the injury and inflammation of heart blood vessels that underlie heart disease.

All the usual markers (or risk factors) for heart disease such as hypertension (high blood pressure), high total cholesterol, low HDL (‘good’) cholesterol, high LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol, high homocysteine, and high C-reactive protein, can be the result of low magnesium status.

Recent studies show that high anxiety and depression (symptoms of human magnesium deficiency) can predict heart disease even more than the traditional risk factors.

Other heart disease markers Dr. Rowen recommends paying close attention to include:

Ferritin levels, because iron participates in the oxidation of cholesterol
Homocysteine levels, which can show potential deficiencies in crucial B vitamins
Lipoprotein A (LPA), as it affects your blood coagulation
25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, and
Blood viscosity

See also:

• atherosclerosis
• uric acid
• artery
• glycated hemoglobin
• Trimethylamine N-oxide