High blood pressure is ranked as the third most risk factor for increasing the burden of non-communicable diseases in South Asian countries. Hypertension exhibits a high public health burden on heart health and healthcare systems in India. People with high blood pressure are put on several medications to help regulate it. Also, they would be advised to modify their lifestyle by practising healthier eating, getting regular exercise, quitting smoking, and limiting alcohol. And one important thing that is often suggested by healthcare professionals is getting enough magnesium.

Magnesium is an important mineral highly valued for controlling blood pressure and it also supports regulating blood sugar and promoting muscle and nerve function.

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Dive into this article to know how magnesium benefits in controlling high blood pressure.

How Are Magnesium And Blood Pressure Connected?

There are 2 major ways that magnesium impacts blood pressure:

Magnesium works to counterbalance the effects of calcium on the blood vessels. Calcium constricts the blood vessels and when this happens, blood pressure rises, but magnesium binds to the blood vessel wall instead of the calcium. Thus, keeping the blood vessels from tightening and controlling the blood pressure .

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Magnesium averts injury to the blood vessel walls. It’s quite usual for blood vessels to have some wear and tear over a period, which leads to the blood vessels becoming stiffer, which elevates blood pressure. In addition, magnesium binds up harmful elements that damage blood vessels and may assist in the repairing process.

Magnesium assists in reducing blood pressure in several ways, which include:

• Relaxes blood vessels
• Work as a natural calcium channel blocker
• Increases nitric oxide levels
• Decrease endothelial dysfunction, which is an imbalance between relaxing and contracting factors in the blood vessels

Furthermore, most elderly people are mildly deficient in magnesium. While age is considered a risk factor for high blood pressure, magnesium deficiency is more likely to aggravate blood pressure problems as you age.

Other Benefits Of Magnesium

Magnesium may also be beneficial to your health in several other ways, which include:

Reduces Risk of Cardiovascular Disease:

 Magnesium assists in maintaining blood vessel walls healthy by averting injury and stiffness to blood vessels that leads to heart disease.

Lowers Risk Of Stroke:

A few studies have revealed that increasing the intake of magnesium might reduce the risk of strokes that develop from atherosclerosis by 8%.

Regulates Insulin Function:

Magnesium can naturally help insulin in the system to work more effectively. Thereby helping diabetics patients to control blood sugar spikes and manage the condition.

Uplifts Mood:

Some research suggests that magnesium may help with easing symptoms related to depression. It was also found that people with magnesium deficiency were more likely to develop depression.

How Much Magnesium Do I Need?

Numerous studies on supplementing magnesium levels reveal that 300 mg/d is adequate to impact blood pressure remarkably. However, there are also warnings that increasing magnesium intake above the recommended levels is not advisable.

The positive impact of magnesium supplementation is mainly effective, only if you are correcting a deficiency. For those who have adequate magnesium levels, supplementing with magnesium is not beneficial.

 Talk with your healthcare provider before taking magnesium supplements.

Food Sources Of Magnesium

Food sources abundant in magnesium include:

• Whole grains, including brown rice and whole wheat bread
• Tap, mineral, and bottled water
• Pumpkin and chia seeds
• Almonds, cashews, and other nuts
• Peanuts and peanut butter
• Soy milk
• Potato with skins
• Plain yogurt
• Black and kidney beans
• Spinach and broccoli
• Chicken and meat
• Apples, bananas, and avocados

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Who Are At Risk Of Magnesium Deficiency?

• In older adults, there is a reduction in magnesium absorption as they age
• Excess consumption of alcohol for a long period
• People with gastrointestinal diseases like Crohn’s disease, celiac disease and enteritis, where there is a reduced intake of nutrients
• People with restrictive food intake
• Type 2 diabetes

People in these groups may benefit from supplementing with magnesium. However, improving the diet regimen is considered a better approach than taking supplements.

Can You Overdose On Magnesium?

Well, the human body can naturally eliminate the excess of magnesium, however, the body might not be able to maintain up if you take a supplement. Overdose of magnesium can cause nausea, stomach pain and diarrhoea. The maximum limit of supplemental magnesium our system can tolerate is 350 mg/day for adults.

It is always advisable to consult your doctor before taking a supplement, this is specifically important if you are taking antacids or laxatives. As these medicines mostly contain magnesium, adding a supplement on top can easily put you into an overdose zone.

Also, regular intake of excess magnesium can lead to magnesium toxicity, which may have fatal impacts like hypotension, respiratory paralysis, and cardiac arrest. However, it is nearly impossible to overdose on magnesium from natural food sources.

Who Should Avoid Taking Magnesium Supplements?

People with chronic kidney disease should avoid magnesium supplements as this can affect magnesium excretion and lead to a build-up in toxic levels in the system.

Discuss with the doctor if you have diabetes or any other condition treated with medicine that interacts with magnesium. People with high blood pressure should not take magnesium supplements without checking with their healthcare provider.

Furthermore, if you are getting adequate magnesium from a food source then you don’t need to take a supplement. Supplementing will have no additional benefits and could only result in overdosing.