Contents

Page 1
A bunch of scary studies.
Page 2
Big brother to the rescue (sort of).
Dieters, athletes, and ECA.
Page 3
Diuretics and magnesium.
Page 4
The turf war.
Page 5
Safety & bioavailability.

The processing of food results in large losses of vital nutrients. For example, white bread contains about 40% less magnesium than whole wheat bread. In addition, since World War II, the amount of magnesium in our food has steadily declined due to farming methods and the use of fertilizers that only replenish nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (9-BK). Thus, there is reason to doubt whether even the best diet can provide an optimum amount of magnesium.

In light of all this, it is amazing that Big Brother actually tells people NOT to take supplements. Lets face it, Big Brother can tell people to eat 3,000 servings of fresh vegetables a day till he's blue in the face, but how many people are going to choose broccoli over pizza? Thus, most of the people who listen to the official party line about supplements are left in the following predicament:

"In developed countries, the Mg [magnesium] intake [from food] is often marginal and the Mg intake coming from drinking water represents the critical factor through which the Mg intake is deficient or satisfactory . . . all [Mg studies have] shown a reverse correlation between cardiovascular mortality [death] and the Mg level" (1).

Isn't that amazing? Unless you take supplements or eat an extraordinarily good diet, you are participating in the magnesium lottery -- gambling your life on the quality of the WATER in your town. Yikes! When you hear some "expert" parroting the old line about how we *can* get all the nutrients that we need from food, what they are really saying -- to the vast majority of people -- is that instead of taking supplements (the dangerous practice of "self-medication"), we should just hope and/or pray that there is enough magnesium in the water. If you listen to these clowns, you are playing the magnesium lottery. And if you get a losing ticket in THIS lottery, you die.

Written
Aug 2000
Last Update
Aug 2000

A Bunch Of Scary Studies

OK, now I know it's easy to criticize epidemiological studies. Actually, there is also quite a bit of clinical and laboratory  research supporting the need for magnesium supplementation. However, since the magnesium lottery is a global water quality  game, we really should dive in a little deeper (sorry):

"A consistent pattern has emerged, indicative of a global phenomenon, which illustrates the importance of waterborne magnesium in protecting against cardiovascular trauma and other ailments" (2).

Here are the lottery results from Sweden: "The odds ratios for death from acute myocardial infarction in the groups were inversely related to the amount of magnesium in drinking water" (4). Scientists in Taiwan studied over 17,000 cerebrovascular deaths and found that the unlucky people who lived in low magnesium areas were more likely to die of strokes: "there is a significant protective effect of magnesium intake from drinking water on the risk of cerebrovascular disease" (5). The scientists in Taiwan have been quite busy. They also found that low magnesium levels in drinking water are related to the risk of death from hypertension (6), diabetes mellitus (8), and an astonishing "42% excess risk of mortality from esophageal cancer" (7).

In light of the uncertainties of the magnesium lottery, it should not be too big of a surprise to find that magnesium deficiency has been found in a large percentage of hospital patients (I'll spare you the joke about hospital food) -- and this has been linked to "cardiovascular abnormalities, ranging from cardiac arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation to hypertension" (12). In addition, low serum magnesium levels are associated with thickening of the carotid wall and high fasting insulin levels (13). The elevated insulin levels reflect an attempt to compensate for impaired insulin receptor function caused by magnesium deficiency (14). Proper insulin function requires a LOT more than popping a chromium pill everyday.

I could go on and on, but Altura et al. did a good job of summing up the overwhelming evidence of the health problems that are related to magnesium deficiency:

"It is now becoming clear that a lower than normal dietary intake of Mg [magnesium] can be a strong risk factor for hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, ischemic heart disease, atherogenesis and sudden cardiac death. Deficits in serum Mg appear often to be associated with arrhythmias, coronary vasospasm and high blood pressure" (15).

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TOC

1.) Durlach J, Bara M, Guiet-Bara A "Magnesium level in drinking water and cardiovascular risk factor: a hypothesis" Magnesium 1985, Vol 4 (1), Pg 5-15. PMID: 0004033205.

2.) Marier JR and Neri LC "Quantifying the role of magnesium in the interrelationship between human mortality/morbidity and water hardness" Magnesium 1985, Vol 4 (2-3), Pg 53-9. PMID: 0004046646.

3.) Marx A and Neutra RR "Magnesium in drinking water and ischemic heart disease" Epidemiol Rev 1997, Vol 19 (2), Pg 258-72. PMID: 0009494787.

4.) Rubenowitz E, Axelsson G, Rylander R "Magnesium in drinking water and death from acute myocardial infarction" Am J Epidemiol 1996, Vol 143 (5), Pg 456-62. PMID: 0008610660.

5.) Yang CY "Calcium and magnesium in drinking water and risk of death from cerebrovascular disease" Stroke 1998, Vol 29 (2), Pg 411-4. PMID: 0009472882.

6.) Yang CY and Chiu HF "Calcium and magnesium in drinking water and the risk of death from hypertension" Am J Hypertens 1999, Vol 12 (9 Pt 1), Pg 894-9. PMID: 0010509547.

7.) Yang CY, Chiu HF, Cheng MF, Tsai SS, Hung CF, Lin MC "Esophageal cancer mortality and total hardness levels in Taiwan's drinking water" Environ Res 1999, Vol 81 (4), Pg 302-8. PMID: 0010581108.

8.) Yang CY, Chiu HF, Cheng MF, Tsai SS, Hung CF, Tseng YT "Magnesium in drinking water and the risk of death from diabetes mellitus" Magnes Res 1999, Vol 12 (2), Pg 131-7. PMID: 0010423708.

9-BK.) Dr. Michael Colgan "Optimum Sports Nutrition: Your Competitive Edge" New York: Advanced Research Press 1993, ISBN: 0962484059.

10.) Joborn H, Akerstrom G, Ljunghall S "Effects of exogenous catecholamines and exercise on plasma magnesium concentrations" Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 1985, Vol 23 (3), Pg 219-26. PMID: 0004075536.

11.) Kynast-Gales SA and Massey LK "Effect of caffeine on circadian excretion of urinary calcium and magnesium" J Am Coll Nutr 1994, Vol 13 (5), Pg 467-72. PMID: 0007836625.

12.) Altura BM and Altura BT "New perspectives on the role of magnesium in the pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system. I. Clinical aspects" Magnesium 1985, Vol 4 (5-6), Pg 226-44. PMID: 0003914580.

13.) Ma J, Folsom AR, Melnick SL, Eckfeldt JH, Sharrett AR, Nabulsi AA, Hutchinson RG, Metcalf PA "Associations of serum and dietary magnesium with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, insulin, and carotid arterial wall thickness: the ARIC study. Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study" J Clin Epidemiol 1995, Vol 48 (7), Pg 927-40. PMID: 0007782801.

14.) Paolisso G and Barbagallo M "Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and insulin resistance: the role of intracellular magnesium" Am J Hypertens 1997, Vol 10 (3), Pg 346-55. PMID: 0009056694.

15.) Altura BM and Altura BT "Cardiovascular risk factors and magnesium: relationships to atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease and hypertension" Magnes Trace Elem 1991-1992, Vol 10 (2-4), Pg 182-92. PMID: 0001844551.

16.) Abraham AS "Potassium and magnesium status in ischaemic heart disease" Magnes Res 1988, Vol 1 (1-2), Pg 53-7. PMID: 0003079203.

17.) Gettes LS "Electrolyte abnormalities underlying lethal and ventricular arrhythmias" Circulation 1992, Vol 85 (1 Suppl), Pg I70-6. PMID: 0001728508.

18-NA.) Dawson R Jr, Tang E, Shih D, Hern H, Hu M, Baker D, Eppler B "Taurine inhibition of iron-stimulated catecholamine oxidation" Adv Exp Med Biol 1998, Vol 442 Pg 155-62. PMID: 0009635027.

19.) Whang R, Whang DD, Ryan MP "Refractory potassium repletion. A consequence of magnesium deficiency" Arch Intern Med 1992, Vol 152 (1), Pg 40-5. PMID: 0001728927.

20.) Whyte KF, Addis GJ, Whitesmith R, Reid JL "Adrenergic control of plasma magnesium in man" Clin Sci 1987, Vol 72 (1), Pg 135-8. PMID: 0003542342.

21.) Dyckner T and Wester PO "Potassium/magnesium depletion in patients with cardiovascular disease" Am J Med 1987, Vol 82 (3A), Pg 11-7. PMID: 0003565422.

22-NA.) Lauler DP "Magnesium--coming of age" Am J Cardiol 1989, Vol 63 (14), Pg 1g-3g. PMID: 0002705371.

23.) Khaw KT and Barrett-Connor E "Dietary potassium and stroke-associated mortality. A 12-year prospective population study" N Engl J Med 1987, Vol 316 (5), Pg 235-40. PMID: 0003796701.

24-BK.) Leibovitz, B "Nutrition: At the Crossroads" in Morgenthaler, J and Fowkes, S "Stop the FDA: Save Your Health Freedom" Health Freedom Publications 1992, ISBN 0-9627418-8-4.

25.) Deuster PA, Dolev E, Kyle SB, Anderson RA, Schoomaker EB "Magnesium homeostasis during high-intensity anaerobic exercise in men" J Appl Physiol 1987, Vol 62 (2), Pg 545-50. PMID: 0003558215.

26.) Keen CL, Lowney P, Gershwin ME, Hurley LS, Stern JS "Dietary magnesium intake influences exercise capacity and hematologic parameters in rats" Metabolism 1987, Vol 36 (8), Pg 788-93. PMID: 0003600291.

27.) Stendig-Lindberg G, Shapiro Y, Epstein Y, Galun E, Schonberger E, Graff E, Wacker WE "Changes in serum magnesium concentration after strenuous exercise" J Am Coll Nutr 1987, Vol 6 (1), Pg 35-40. PMID: 0003453693.

28.) Geiss KR, Stergiou N, Jester, Neuenfeld HU, Jester HG "Effects of magnesium orotate on exercise tolerance in patients with coronary heart disease" Cardiovasc Drugs Ther 1998, Vol 12 Suppl 2 Pg 153-6. PMID: 0009794089.

29.) O'Keeffe S, Grimes H, Finn J, McMurrough P, Daly K "Effect of captopril therapy on lymphocyte potassium and magnesium concentrations in patients with congestive heart failure" Cardiology 1992, Vol 80 (2), Pg 100-5. PMID: 0001611628.

30.) Touyz RM "Magnesium supplementation as an adjuvant to synthetic calcium channel antagonists in the treatment of hypertension" Med Hypotheses 1991, Vol 36 (2), Pg 140-1. PMID: 0001664038.

31.) Stevenson RN, Keywood C, Amadi AA, Davies JR, Patterson DL "Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and magnesium conservation in patients with congestive cardiac failure" Br Heart J 1991, Vol 66 (1), Pg 19-21. PMID: 0001854570.

32.) Haenni A, Berglund L, Reneland R, Anderssson PE, Lind L, Lithell H "The alterations in insulin sensitivity during angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor treatment are related to changes in the calcium/magnesium balance" Am J Hypertens 1997, Vol 10 (2), Pg 145-51. PMID: 0009037321.

33.) Gottlieb SS, Baruch L, Kukin ML, Bernstein JL, Fisher ML, Packer M "Prognostic importance of the serum magnesium concentration in patients with congestive heart failure" J Am Coll Cardiol 1990, Vol 16 (4), Pg 827-31. PMID: 0002212365.

34-BK.) Pearson, D and Shaw, S "Life Extension : A Practical Scientific Approach" Warner Books 1987, ISBN 0446387355.