Magnesium Decreases Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death in Women

by | Dec 20, 2010 | 2010, Heart Attack, Magnesium, Minerals

Written by Chrystal Moulton, Staff Writer. Magnesium decreases the risk of sudden cardiac death in women.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in both men and women in the United States. According to the Center of Disease Control, approximately 785,000 Americans every year experience their first adverse heart event, while within the same year 470,000 others who are already diagnosed with heart disease will experience yet another cardiac episode. It is estimated that in 2010 alone, heart disease will cost the United States $316.4 billion dollars in healthcare costs and loss of productivity. (1)

Among the various forms of cardiovascular disease, sudden cardiac death (SCD) contributes approximately 325,000 deaths per year in the U.S and 7,000,000 deaths worldwide. SCD alone accounts for 50% of those who die of cardiac episodes. (2)

In general, the word heart attack for many years has been attributed to middle-aged men. However, a growing body of research has found that more women die of heart disease yearly than men. (3,4) According to the American Heart Association (AHA), 37% of women die annually from cardiovascular disease. In fact, more women die per year of CVD than all cancers combined. (3,4,5)

The AHA assesses that this may be due in part to a lack of understanding of all the symptoms and signs of an oncoming adverse cardiac event in women. Furthermore, knowledge of how cardiovascular disease progresses in women, as well as other biological factors that predisposes them to higher rates of cardiac arrest, are still being unraveled. (4, 5)  For example, depression makes an individual 67% more likely than those who are not depressed to experience a heart attack, due to poor dietary and lifestyle choices. (3)

Magnesium, found mostly in green vegetables, has been shown to be essential to the heart. (6,7) In a recent study (8), conducted within the Nurses’ Health Study, the researchers sought to establish an association between sudden cardiac death in women and plasma and dietary magnesium levels. A total of 88, 375 subjects were examined from 1980 to 2006. All subjects were healthy female nurses aged 30-55.. Detailed records of their medical history, lifestyle habits and newly diagnosed diseases were made, along with tracking of their diets every two years.

The association between magnesium and SCD was made through blood samples provided by 32,826 of the women between 1989 and 1990. The researchers identified 505 cases of SCD among these women over the 26-year period of the study. Their results demonstrated that magnesium intake is inversely related to the occurrence of SCD.

Women in the highest quartile of magnesium intake (greater than 345mg per day) had significantly lower risk of SCD than other participants, even when taking into account risk factors for cardiovascular disease, medication use, diet, and lifestyle. They found that women with high intake of magnesium had a 34% risk of SCD compared to 77% risk in those with low intake (less than 261mg per day). The researchers also found that the inverse relationship of magnesium intake and SCD remained consistent throughout the study. (8)

Source: Chiuve, Stephanie E., et al. “Plasma and dietary magnesium and risk of sudden cardiac death in women.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 93.2 (2011): 253-260.

© 2011 American Society for Nutrition

Posted December 20, 2010.

References:

  1. Sovari AA, Kocheril AG, Baas AS. Sudden Cardiac Death. Posted on the Medscape website. Accessed December 10, 2010.
  2. See the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Accessed December 10, 2010.
  3. Heart disease in women: Understand symptoms and risk factors. Mayo Clinic Staff. Posted on the Mayo Clinic website. Accessed December 10, 2010.
  4. See the American Heart Association website. Accessed December 10, 2010.
  5. See the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute website. Accessed December 10, 2010.
  6. See the Office of Dietary Supplements website. Accessed December 10, 2010.
  7. Booth JV, Phillips-Bute B, McCants CB, Podgoreanu MV, Smith PK, Mathew JP, Newman MF. Low Serum Magnesium Level Predicts Major Adverse Cardiac Events: Discussion.
  8. Chiuve SE, Korngold EC, Januzzi JL Jr, Gantzer ML, Albert CM. Plasma and dietary magnesium and risk of sudden cardiac death in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Nov 24. [Epub ahead of print]