Heart helper

Our guest columnist is Mona Shah, MD,, of Baptist Heart Specialists, who is board-certified in both cardiology and holistic medicine.

Magnesium is an essential mineral needed in hundreds of chemical reactions in your body. It regulates muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and the production of protein, bone and DNA. It also helps antioxidants do their job.

Magnesium helps promote healthy sleep, reduce osteoporosis, and alleviate migraines, muscle spasms, fibromyalgia, stress and depression.

Magnesium can benefit the heart by lowering blood pressure, stabilizing some arrhythmias, helping improve heart function in patients with heart failure, and serving as an anti-inflammatory agent for arteries.

Signs of magnesium deficiency

If your magnesium is low, you can have symptoms like insomnia, headaches, anxiety, high blood pressure, palpitations, muscle pain and hormonal imbalances.

Unfortunately, about 70% of Americans are deficient in magnesium. Blood tests may not be an accurate way of detecting total body magnesium.

Traditional farming and processing of foods can deplete magnesium from products. Organic methods are better but not perfect. Fortunately, there are some things you can eat to boost your levels.

Dietary and supplemental sources of magnesium

Seeds, leafy greens, spinach, pumpkin, nuts and dark chocolate are just a few examples of foods that are rich in magnesium. You may need to eat a certain number of servings to get the amount you need, and there are websites that will tell you how many milligrams per serving size you might be getting.

Adults need at least 400mg daily and sometimes more under stressful conditions.

A supplement can be beneficial because an adequate amount of magnesium is difficult to get from foods. After consulting with your doctor, you can start with 200 to 400mg of a good form of magnesium, preferably chelated magnesium, which is easier to absorb.

Some other forms that are easier to absorb are magnesium taurate (a combination of two substances that are good for your heart), magnesium glycinate, and magnesium malate. A newer compound on the market is magnesium L-threonate, which is the only type of magnesium that can cross the blood-brain barrier, reaching the brain and possibly helping with Alzheimer's disease. If possible, try to avoid magnesium oxide or sulfate, as these are not well absorbed by the body and can cause gastrointestinal upset.

I like to tell my patients that optimal health is a combination of exercise, a good diet and good mental health. Sometimes, supplementing with vitamins and minerals – after consulting with your doctor – can help you achieve optimal health, motivate you to stick to healthy eating, and get more benefit out of your daily exercise. All of these will contribute to keeping your heart strong and protecting your overall health.