Table Of Contentfhe
HO'W ONE IM PLE NUTRIENT
S
CAN PREVENT, TREAT, AND REVERSE
high blood pressure
heart disease
etes
d ia b
and other chronic conditions
Mildred S. Seelig, M.D., MPH,
Mastcr, Anrerican CoIlege of Nutrition
Andrca Ilosa no l:f , Ph. t).
[v.ry oflbfi hqs ho€n nrd. k, en$rc rhrl rh. into.hd on mnrdin.d itr lhh lxx,k is dnfllk ind
Eccumte.Ilowqeinenherrhcpublhhsnorrh.aurhoBurc.ng.gedinrcldcrin!ptut(sn,n {d.
vi.e or se&ices to the individual readel thc i<leas, pr.cedurcs, .nd suss€nnns conr.incd in rhis
bek are not ink.ded a substnute lor consuhing wnh your physician. All m.ne6 rcgfdins
your physic.lheahh rcquiE m€dic al 3 uperision, Nenher rhe au$.6 northepuhlishe.sh.ltbe ti
.ble or lespo.sible for any loss, injury or damage allegedlv:isine fiom ,ny intomalion or sus-
8e ion in this book The opinions dpE$ed in this b@k repesen! the peronal vicws of rhe
authoB lnd not of the publisher
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ity for dbN, o tbr chang.s thai occur atrer puhlicarion.
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Hudson Street, N€w York, NY loOl4. Acknowledgments
lm'
'qE"-A,
lltui.-
PeTun Croup 1U5A Inc, Thete are so many people who helped make this book possible. Fam-
ily, friends, agents, and editors allcame together.to encourage, suggest,
NewYorL NY 10014 and help from the earliest to rhe 6nal sreges of this project. We espe"
cially want to thank two people who read (and re-read) the manuscript
Coplrisht O 2003 by MlldFd S Sedir and Andrc. Hosinoll for us: Dr. Charles Boris Seelig carefully surveyed most of the manu-
All iishts leEncd 'l hk book, or pdts rh.Eof, may nor script for medical accuracy, and Mr. Steve Sparks helped us make sure
be reprodu.ed in any fom wxhour wrfttci pemission
Published simultancouslyih canads that in echieving medical accuracy we still had a readable book for
readers not trajned in medicine. Amy Tecklenburg, our publisher's ed,
I-ibnry ol Consres Catalodnn in Publi.aiion Data itor, was most helpful in suggesting changes that improved the book as
well as calling to our atLention expressions that needed clarjfication.
'lb€ magnesium f.ctor / Mildrd S Seelig,Ahdrea Rosanotf.
Dennis Hibbert l,las kind and professional, a combination always
In.hdes bibliosaphical iefeences and irrde*. well received, in sun€ying cities'water companies for us, and Keliie
ISBN 1-58333-lt6-i
l. UaSnesnrm dell.icncy dhe,ser-Popularrvorhs 2. Nlalnesiun in the bodv Chang fourd even the most elusivejournal articles with a competence
Popular woiks. L Rosanoff, Ande. II Title mrcly seen-'Ib these, and all the others u.ho conrributed to rhe pio-
RC627.M3S434 2003 2003041317 duction of this book, \\,e offer our gratirude.
But most ol all ue ro rhank all rho,e research. r. and rheir
'.ri.h
Printed in tBc United StatesoaADerica many helpers rvho have studied magnesium over the yeam. In rhis book,
wc hayc dercrlbed soara of thoir resuhs, for to preseht it oll would take
lolumes, It is to these researchers that this book is dedicated.
'
Ph.D. r , , I :l;S
A, Rosanoff, : lll
ff1'lo$ffi;l:l
I:
',ri, Contents
: !$'ii'':1i*i&'r:
I
l
i',.,;..,.,'.1Magnes1Um:ThdMineralThatcomb6ts'Heart.
':
r ., :' . r, Dpiisseiaassee aanndd KKeeeeppss pBlloooodd VVeess66eellgg HHeaeltahylthy ',;l
122
f
l1i :, l
Ar€ W6 B€ally Low ln Magnesium?
2'11
10 Do You Need More Magnesium?
219
11 Making Sure You Have Enough l\,4agnesium
12 lvlagnesiumiThe Silent Guardian of Ou.Hearts
and Arteries
238
Appendix A Magnesium Questionnaire
256
Appendix Bi Common Foods Classiiied
by Magnesium Content
263
Appendix Cl Magnes um in Dr nking Waler
264
Appendix Di Magnesium in Salt Substitutes
Magnesium: The Mineral That
Appendlx El P.obleTs Associared witl Low Maqr€sium Levels
Combats Heart Disease and
APPenorx t- Guidelines for l\,4agnesium lniections
280 Keeps Blood Vessels Healthy
Appendix G: Soft Drrnks Made wilh ard wilhour Pnosohoric Acid
2A2
Appendix Hi Common N4ed icat ons That Affect N4agnesium Status
244
Appendix l: Aiternative Names for Suoar We know the scene-its inherent drama puts it into screen-
2A7
play after screenplay, The patien! is sunounded by hustling
AppendxJt The Essential Nutrients ffgures in masks and gowns. The doctor, holding two deffbril-
294
lator pads, one in each hand, calls "Clearl" The pads are on the
ResouTces patient's chest and ihen t rr. The patienrjolts.
292 We all know what's happening. A human heart has
References stopped beating. If the tr€atment works, the heart will start
294
beating. Lifel lf the monitor sholvs a straight line, it means
lndex death. AII other health issues are suddenly put aside. The
371
gowned frgures around the patientwait. The anticipalion is in-
i.--,_ -
tcnse. No bcats. 'l'hcy rcpeat the heroic pru(cdure-"Clcar!" ngcd by thc fact that Jack's cholcstcrol lcvcl and blood pressure went
and the patient jolts again. rlown, and urged Jack to keep up the medications. But Jack felt tired
oll the time. He had muscle aches and even became impotent.And the
Of the more than half million Americans u,ho l,ill die rhis vear from pains he felt in his chest area werejust gettingworse. He often fel! de-
hea disease, many donl have to di€. pressed, probably because he didn't feel he couid function fully in an
Of the millions taldng expensive medications-some of which otherwise happy life.
have potentially serious sidc effects-to treat conditions that increase A nained chemist, Jack \4,ent to lhe research journals for informa-
the risk of heart disease, many could be just as healthy taking lorver tion on his plight. His reading gave him the idea that magnesium sup-
doses---or not taking them at all- plements could help, so he stared taking over-the'counter magnesium
Of the millions struggling with no-fat, low-fat, high-far, low-sak deci- tsLlets with his meals. Within days the aches and pains in his legs less-
sions, and feeling guilty when they regularly miss rhe mark, many could ened, and within ffve months the chest pains were almost gone. On his
keep their hearts and blood vessels heakhy xdilla&, allthis diering sl€ss. own he stopped taking the be.a-blocker. On his doctort advice, he
The solution to heart diseasc has been with us allalong, and it is started taking it agajn, even though the chest pains had begun subsiding
nutritional. N{ost modern heart disease is caused by magnesium de6- wirhout the drug. Because his blood pressure had come do$,n, his doc-
ciency. A vast and convincing lmdy of research, largely ignored, has tor allowed him to cut back on the diuretic. FIe couldnt believe how
convinced us and many of our colleagues of this fact, The diet of the much betterhe felt. In facr, Jackfound it herd to beljeve that simply tsk-
industfal world is short on magnesium, and this is causing an epi ing magnesium pjlls could make such a dilference, So he stopped hking
demic of heart disease in the moderr world- them, Within two months his lethargy was back, along with rising blood
How can we say thisl l'hese are bold claims. Is ther€ real evi- pressDre, aches and pains in his legs, and some pain in his chest. Con-
dence? Evldencefromplacebo"controlled, double-blind research srud- vinced,Jack again started tahng the magnesium supplements, aDd once
ies-the highest standard for medical research? The answer is a again his health and feeling of well-being began to rerum. After a year he
tesoundingyasl We hope the evidence in this book willhelp you to de" felt great and was able ro stop all of the prescribed medications---even
cide for yourself whether, and how, raking supplemenral magnesium 'the starin. l'\ow he fully felt that his life had been saved.
may help you, your family, and your friends. Could such a simple remedy eliminate so many signs and symp-
toms of hear! damage) Signs and sl,mptoms that warn of developing
A TrptcAL STo By abnormalities in blood vessels and signal a danger of longterm, life-
threateDing heart disease? And better yet, might magnesjum supple-
Jacks experience is t,?ical of presentday heart trearmen!. In his for- ments safely prevent heart disease? What is the evidence that the
tjes, he had a pain in his chest strong enough to send him to the emer, entire complex of risk factors for heart disease can be forestallcd by
gency room. Suddenly he was surrounded by doctors and medical one simple bui essential nutrient?
technology of the most advanced kind, and u,hen he came out, alive
and grateftrl, he was taking a diur€tic for high blood pressure. a statin
HEART DrsEAsE-A TwENTTETH -
drug for high cholesterol, and a beta-blocker for angina pain. He rried
CErrunv EPTDEMIc
to lower his intake offat and salt, as prescribed, but ir\r?s roo difficult;
he couldnt stick to it. Jack's goai of exercising three times each ii.eek Before Iq00 and inro rhe l9r0s. hedrr disea.e had nu meJi.al spe
brought guilr as often as joy and exhilaration. His doctor was encour- cialty None seemed required. Even as late as 1925 to 1935, there was
2 3
T-6 MaQnesiLh FE. oI
Magnsstum: The Min6rsl Thal Combals Hearl Dts6rse
little interest in cardiology and litde of ir was taughr in medical FiguE l.t Chango in ihe tncl.torce o, H6art Di.ease
schools. Few realized that an age of heart disease was about to dawn. and Avelage lntake ol lfagnealum Coolraat€d
By the late 1940s, doctors were calling for more active programs in
heart disease because "it seemed to be greatly increasingin occurrence Numbor of Amancan hearyt ed,asre ase Avorage American rFagnesium
dealhs (in thousands) by intatelrn mittigramsl t! year
and severity." And it was truc. From 1900 to the 1970s, deaths due rc
heart disease rose steadily (see figure i.l). Increased longeviw could 900 900
800 800
account for some of the rise. but far from all of it. Heart disease is 700
700
more common in older adults but, more and more, it is showing up in 600
600
younger people-even in infants. Deaths from heart disease soared 500 500
from less than 30,000 in 1900 to morc rhan 700,000 in 1970. Since 400 400
300
then, the death rate ftom heart disease has remained rather steadv ai 300
2W
fiis high l€vel, while the medical specialty of cardiology has bccome a 200
,00
100
major field ofmedicine. Surgerycan nowreopen or replace blocked ar- o
teries, repair heart valves, and even replace whole hearts. Medications 190'01,020 '30'40'5 0,6 0,7 0,8 0,9 01997 1090,100,2 0,3 0,4 0,50'60'7 0,8 0 2000
fbr arrhythmias (irregular heartbead and several other risk factors for '90
heart disease, such as high biood pressure, have been developed and The graph .r lcli iltLsrrarcs trov the lrcquency of hearr dtsedse has gone up since
are widely used. These medical innovations have saved countless lives, 1900 rh. 6,.)fI ur ,irhr \hu$l \( J(tirc n, a\ctuse ma81e!iua,on(unpr(,r dJring
but some have serious side effects. And despite them, the incidence of lhe sime Der oJ
heart disease has not lessened. lndeed, it continues to increase-as Sosr.,s: U.S. Cenrcrs tor Discase ConrroJand prevcnrion, Nationd CcnrertorHeatth
the processed-food-based diet of the industrialized world spreads. Starisrics, and rhe Ame cM Hean Asso.iation, 2000 Hearr an(l Shotte Starisrical
fi:
Updste i D.llas, Ansjcdn Hcart Associarioh, i 999). O 2003, Copy ehr American
Heart Association Rcproiuced $ith puhisjo.i l. R. Nlariea ,,eranlirative lirtors
Drrr aro MacNEsIUM DEFTcIENcy Ii€garding i\rhsnesjhr Srarus in the Nlodem-Dry \Vortd,', Malnas)iM t 1198D: 3 ) \.
As the hearr disea,e epidcmic ol rhe ru enricrh cenluD wds gro!\ rng, so
was the reliance on modern processcd foods. There are many things
wrong with sr.rch a diet. Ir is high in far, especially saturared fat; high in commonJy ackaou,ledged. While several essenrial nutrients are imper_
cholesterol; and high in sugar and salt, among other things. But nor ative for heart and blood vessel health, the vasr rescarch on low mag,
emphasized in rhe training ofmany doctors nor even in rhar of many nesjum and its impact on heart health has gone unh€eded, so much so
nutdtionists and dieticians-is that such a dier is loiv in magnesium. that much ofthe hean disease secn today is a direcr result oflow mag_
And hearts and blood vessels nccd magnesium to stay healthy. nesium lonsumption. l-his vitallv importanr nutdent is inadequate in
The fact is that magnesium deficiency underlies much ofthe hea.r much of our pror ersed foods and u arer supplies. ju.r h"" ,", .rr.*-
disease epidemic that consumes so many of our health care dollars. I ful lifistyle dcmands rhrr $e hd\e more The pllccrc o"t d los intal,c ol
Studies have linked low magnesiumwith manyofthe major riskfactors nrogncsium can be worscned by the high Jevels of fat, sugar, sodium,
for heart disease. Othcr strrdics show nnd phospharc in our dic'ts os wcll as, jronically, by the use of calcium
a supplcDrcnts, which hls bccrrr)rc widosprc.rd becausc of our awareness
ol culclunrs voluc lbr bonc lrcuhh.
r
Let's loo[ at sorne of the evidence that magncsium deliciency can
cause heart disease.
Low MacNEsruM AND HEART DrsEAsD
Animal and clinical studi€s have shown that chronic magnesium de-
pletion has direct consequences for both the heart and the blood ves-
sels. These include the followingr
.
&rhythmias (irregular heart rhythms) and tachycardia (too-
rapid heartbeats) due to abnormal shifts of the mineral potas-
sium inro and out ofheart cells.
.
Abnormal electrical activity in the heart, shown by electrocar-
diogram (EKG or ECC) results.
' Arteriosclerosis (stiffeningand inflexibility of the blood vessels).
This can develop even in children.
.
Constriction of lhe arteries and spasms in blood vessels.
.
High blood pressure.
.
Angina (chest pain due to heart dis€ase).
.
Myocardial infarction (damage to heart cells-better known as
a heart attack) due to ischemic heart disease (an insufficient flow healthy hearts and blood vessels. Anjmal studies shovr' that low mag-
of oxygenated blood to the heart) that is associated wich too much nesium levels adversely affecr the.heart and blood vessels. Clinical
calcium and not enough magnesium in heart cells. ctudies show tha! treatment with magnesium, taken at the right time
.
Sudden death due to arrhythmia or infarction. and in the right amoirnt, can lessen heat disease risk frctom and even
.
The formation of blood clots within blood vessels, which can save lives. Might adequate magnesium nutrition lessen the need fbr
lead to heart attack or stroke. heroic surgeries? Mighl it lessen the need for, or even replace, med'
.
Heart valve disorders such as mitral valve prolapse. ications, with their high cost and possible adverse side effects) Drug
and surgical therapies could then be reserved forpeople with heart dis-
The medical profession has responded to this mJriad of spnptoms ease for whom adequate magnesium nutrition is not enough.
by treating each symptom individually, with drugs or surgery or both
(see table 1.1). The result is high-tech, expensive chasing after syrnp-
ADDTTToNAL EvTDENcE
toms that may stave off death but does not rcstore health- How much
better it would be to prevent much ofthe damage from this disease by We know that there are connections between low magnesium con-
treating the magnesium deficiency that sumption and the major risk factors for heart disease. In addition, re-
underlies all of its sl,rnptoms, giving the search has {ound that there are very low levels of magnesium in the
body the simple nutrient it needs for heat muscle ofpeople who have died ofheart disease.ln one study, the
0
,]
I
hcarts of such individuals had 24 pcrccnt [,ss nrtgncsir.rnr than dkl thc Tlgurr 1,2 Conparl.on ot H.ait Dla.aaa D..th Rri.. ln
hearts of pcople who had died in accidcnts. Othcr studies havc becn Hardl Aval.gal and Soill.Watar Araaa
performed on cadaver heans classiffed by cause ofdeath-death due to
E D6ath6 from coronary heart
heart disease versus death from other causes, usually accidents. The I dissass psr 1,000,000 persons
"heart-disease" hearts had anyrvhere hom 12 to 27 percent less magne- t
800
sium than the "othercauses ofdeath" hearts. What's more, damaged ar-
700
eas of hearts from people rvho had died of heart disease had 40 ro 50
600
percent less magnesium than undamaged areas of the same hearts.
Another interesting lindingis that cadaver hearts from people rvho 500
had lived in areas with hard drinking uater (water that contains rela- 400
tively high levels ofdissolved mincrals) had higher amounts of magne- i 300
silrm in them 6 or 7 percent higher, on average, than cadaver hearts I
200
ftom soft-watcr areas. Maybe this is whydeath rates from heart disease i
are lower in hard'water communities. Although early nutritional stud- I 100
ies in animals proved magnesium to be vital to both hearts and blood 0 247 96 4t
(Hard) (Av6rags)
vessels, this knowledge was not linked to the rising level of human (Sotl)
Lincoln, washlngton,
Savannah,
heart disease secn in the first halI ofthe trventieth century In the late Nobraska D.C. Georgia
1950s, some epidemiological studies (research on populations) pointed
Hodnes6 (PPtll)
ln 1957, an important Japanese study shorved that when hardness Trvhheit eS rmapehn .abgoevde forenpyrc-fsireen rsro rshicxt yn-ufomurb qye oarfsd cinatAhns efdmcma nis.icthiccsm icw ithhc a$ne d hi,acradsccs !a, naovenr8-
of drinking watcr went up, the rate of death from cardio\ascula. dis-
age, and sofiest water
ease went down. Ihen more studies from other parts of the world
showcd the same trend; there was something aboLrt hatd r.r,ater th:t
protected peoplc from heart disease death. Whether in South Africa, disease, this inlormation was very intriguing, and medical scientists
Greenland, Iiinland, England, Wales, Canada, Auslralia, or the United and doctors naturally rvondered what it was in hard waterthat was pro-
States. cardiovascularand overalldeath rates were found to be lou,erin tective, or what was it about soft water tha! was dangerolrs to hearts.
hard-water areas than in soft-water areas. (See Ergure 1-2-) Research soon showed that the protective water factor, in most cases,
Further evidcnce for this water factor came with a study of Brilish was magnesium. Calcium, another hard water component, also can be
towns observed betu,een I95l and 1961, a time of rising cardiovascu- prorecdve because it makes water less corosive and less liLely to leach
lar disease. The towns whose water supply became softer during that toxic trace minerals, such as cadmium and lead, out of metal pipes.
decade experienced a 20 percent rise in heart disease death rares, Calcium shares its direct effect-interfering with the absorption offat
while towns with no change in *,ater hardness shorved a rise ofonly 1l from the intestines-with magnesium-
percent in such deaths. Towns whose water supply became harder had Hard waters protective effect is illustrated by the case of Finnish
I
only an 8 percent rise in heart-disease deaths. immigrants living in North Dakota. Finland, at the time of the study (the
therc u". .omerhing rbout .oh * orer thor *ent M irh higher rarps early 1960s), had a very high rate of heart disease--one of the highest
ofheart disease dearh. Coming as it did at the peak of the dse in heart in &eworld. The Finns also had high levels oftobacco and alcoholuse,
t
3
,,,.'E
plus a high-saruratcd-t:rr, high-
M^(;NxitUil tr
ENzyMEs
protein, high-calcium, high-
salt diet that was low in fruits Early in 2002, a pharmac0uth,nl nrl ltI lslcvision stated fiat eaclr lnt^
and vegetables. The Finnish man being has thousands of cnzyrrrr,r', ltttllhtl lhcirproper funcrion is
immigmnts in North Dakota had virtually the same dietar.v and needed for health. This is true. lireyrrrt,r lru whlt make rhe body's
lifestyle habits, and could be assumed to share the same basic heredi- chemical reacrions take place at the prol)(.r llIt(,r, ltl lll( proper speed,
tary characteristics, but, surprisingl),, had less than half rhe incidence and in the proper amounts. \
of heart disease and a longer average life expectancy. Horv come? The Any biochemistry student can te]] that inclutllng Mgr'r (the
,vou
w;ter in \onh Ddkora sa. high -vcry high-in magnesium. wmbol for magncsium ion-magncsium in its electrictlly (lruryed
It was time to take magnesium seriously ;lloim) in a reaction has a good chance of giving you the right unsw(r to
I
test questions. That is because magnesium is a necessary catalyst lirr
Mecrrsrunr rN THE HEART AND Bt-ooD VEssELs all sorts of life reactions. Among the en4vmes that have been srudied
intensjvely, over 350 need magnesium, directly, to do their jobs prop-
X'lagnesium is a vital structural component ofall muscle cells, and the erly. For the sake of comparison, the mineral zinc, for example, is re-
heart is mainly muscle. Indeed, heart muscle, when healthy, contains quired for abour 200 enrymes; copper, for less than 20; and selenium,
even more magnesium than other muscles do. And when magnesium for l0 that have been identified in animal studies so far, To mention
Ievels become low, thcy can drop more in heart musclc cells than in just a few, magnesium is directly necessary to the enzymes that hreak
other muscles, down glucose (blood sugar), control the production of cholesterol,
Each molecule of myosin (muscle protein) has an atom ol magne- make nucleic acids such as DNA, make proteins (ali enzymes are pro-
siunr in it. Muscles therefore have to have magnesium to work. About teins), and break down fats. Importantly, magnesiuul is neccssary to
27 percent of the body's magnesium is in muscle tissue, including the rhe enzymes thar keep potessium inside cells-including those of the
small muscle cells that make blood vessels contract or relat as blood, cardiovascuJar system-where it is ,ecessary for cellular activity, and
dril.en by the heart muscle's pumping, flows through them. If a mag, to kcep sodium outsidc the cells, thereby preventing edema or swelling.
nesium deficiency begins to affect the heart's muscle cells and the Without adequate magnesium, these enzymes eitherlvillnot act orwill
"nervous conduction system" ofthe hearl, this organ, which must beat act al the wtong rate or at the wrong tinre--or both.
regularly and continuously, may run into trouble. The availabiliry of lnaddition to rhemorethan 350 en4mes for which magnesium is di-
magnesjum within the heart affects the rhythm of the heart both di rectly necessary it is indirectly required for thousands ofothers. One es-
rectly and indirectly by controllinS potassium and calcium levels, This pecially imponant reaction thatneeds magnesium is the one thatcontrols
also affects the conduction system. A low level of magnesium in the the molecule adenosine triphosphate, orAIP AfP is present in all the
heart muscle cel1s can bring on heart arhlthmias ranging from the living $,orld. You can thinkofit as life's batteries-a substance that can
merely disturbing, such as palpitations, to the severe. including disrur- store and release enerry back and forth, like a switch. (See ligure 1.3).
bances that can be life rhreatening. But to do so, i! needs magnesium. Lit€rallyevery energy-consuming re-
Blood vessel muscle cells need healthy amounts of magnesium to action in iife involves ATP and thus needs magnesium to proceed. This
'
relax propedy afler each contraction. They can become stiff and in- is lvhat puts the number of enz),rnes that need magnesium into the thou-
flexible if their magnesium gets too low. sarrds. (For one illustration, se€ "HN{G CoA Reductase" on page 13.)
t0 l1
*
Flgur. t.3 AtP .nd Th. E.tt.rlc. o, lll.
High energy bond
to release energy to 4!9!e eneryy
The dra|ing abovc represents how magnerium and ATP work toSether to producecel-
lularenergy ATP enters into a reactioh invoieiig magn€siim that releases energywhile
lbming d rellled cohpo!nd, ldenosine diphosphdte (ADP). Another magncsium.
related reaction convertsADP back intoATE storing energy.
It would be hard to overestimate magnesium's importance in en-
zyme function, both directly, as a cofactor, and indirectly viaAIP reac-
Muscle conLraction requires energy, and thus requires AIP and
magnesium. The pumping heart is a muscle that alternately conlracls
and relaxes. The contracting and dilating of blood vessels are due to
muscle< cuntracting dnd relaring. {Jl oI this activit\ requires magne-
sium, both directly and indirectly through AIP No wonder low mag'
nesium can affect the heart and its blood vessels.
MAGNESIUM IN THE CELLS
ln addirion ro all ol ir' enzy,rne lun. r ion.. magne,ium is an imponant ulating what goes into and what comes out of all the body's cells 'T"his
componen! ofcell membranes.As a resuh, it is vitally important in reg- makes magn€sium crucial to mineralbalance.
