Magnesium and Cardiovascular Disease: A Review of Epidemiological Evidence

Journal of Clinical and Basic Cardiology 2002; 5 (1): 61-66

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Keywords: Diät,  magnesium,  Myokardinfarkt,  Nahrungsergänzung,  Schlaganfall,  diet,  magnesium,  myocardial infarction,  stroke,  supplements

Magnesium (Mg) is an essential element with numerous biological functions. Its relevance to disease is, however, uncertain. Both dietary Mg intake and serum Mg appear to be negatively related to the incidence of ischaemic heart disease events and stroke, but the evidence is both sparse and inconsistent. Perhaps the most persuasive data come from the post-mortem examinations of heart muscle: low tissue Mg levels being consistently found in myocardium taken from subjects whose death had been attributed to vascular disease. The clinical aspect which has received the greatest attention in recent years is the value of an infusion of Mg given early to patients with acute myocardial infarction. The evidence on this is inconsistent and a further trial is being set up in an attempt to resolve some of the uncertainties. The most pressing needs in the evaluation of Mg and health are, however, for more prospective evidence on dietary Mg intake and the risk of myocardial infarction, and for randomised controlled trials of the effect of an increase in Mg intake on vascular disease mortality.