New evidence makes it a must for hypertensives  

Prevention has been touting the benefits of magnesium for high blood pressure for some time. Now the latest research, from the National Cardiovascular Center in Osaka, Japan, shows just how effective magnesium supplements can be.  

For a two month period, researchers continually monitored the blood pressures of 60 people with hypertension; for half that time, they were given 480 mg of magnesium a day. The researchers then compared each person's blood pressure level with and without magnesium supplementation. They saw a small but significant drop in the overall pressures of the participants - on average, a drop of 2.5 points in systolic pressure (the top number) and 1.4 in diastolic pressure (the bottom number).  

Though that change may seem small, it's an average among 60 people, explains stateside expert David McCarron, MD, professor of medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. Some people, he says, will respond more dramatically, perhaps dropping as much as 9 points from systolic pressure and 6 points from diastolic pressure. "For those individuals, it may make the difference between being on medication or not," says Dr. McCarron.  

Combining a multivitamin, a magnesium supplement, and a healthy diet should net you 450 to 500 mg per day, the target level to protect your blood pressure.  

Bottom line: Aim for 350 mg of supplemental magnesium per day thriugh a multivitamin plus a supplement. 

Bonus: Research suggests that magnesium may also  
protect you from diabetes, osteoporosis, and heart disease.  

by Teri Walsh  

30 PREVENTION / FEERUARY 1999