Magnesium is a mineral that your body needs to stay strong and healthy. It helps with many important jobs, including keeping your blood pressure in a normal range. That’s why eating enough magnesium might help people who have high blood pressure.
Magnesium is involved in over 300 functions in the body. It helps muscles move, supports your nerves, keeps your blood sugar steady, and helps your heart. One of its main jobs is helping control blood pressure, which is very important for heart health.
Even though magnesium is so important, many adults don’t get enough of it each day. This is a big problem, especially for people with high blood pressure. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is common and increases the risk of serious health issues like heart attacks and strokes.
Magnesium helps by relaxing your blood vessels. When your blood vessels are relaxed, blood flows more easily, which lowers the pressure in your arteries. This makes your heart’s job easier and helps prevent damage to your heart over time.
Scientists have done many studies to see how magnesium affects blood pressure. In 2016, researchers looked at the results of many smaller studies involving more than 2,000 people.
They found that magnesium supplements helped lower both the top and bottom numbers of blood pressure readings. The people in these studies took between 300 and 500 milligrams of magnesium each day.
Another study from 2012 found similar results. It showed that magnesium helped people who were overweight or had health problems that put them at higher risk for heart disease. Since many of these people also had high blood pressure, the study suggested magnesium could be especially helpful for them.
However, not all studies show the same results. Some found that magnesium didn’t always help lower blood pressure. The reason might be that people who already have enough magnesium in their bodies don’t see a big change. But people who are low in magnesium may benefit more from eating magnesium-rich foods or taking a supplement.
You can find magnesium in many healthy foods. Good sources include whole grains, beans, nuts, and leafy green vegetables. Spinach is one of the best. One cup of cooked spinach has about 157 milligrams of magnesium—almost half of what most adult women need each day. Nuts like almonds, cashews, and peanuts also have a lot of magnesium.
You can also take magnesium as a supplement, but it’s best to talk to your doctor before doing that. This is important if you have other medical problems or take medications.
In short, magnesium might not be a cure for high blood pressure, but it can be part of a healthy plan to manage it. It’s easy to find in many foods, and adding more of these foods to your meals is a simple way to support your health. As always, check with your doctor to see what’s best for you.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and natural coconut sugar could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies about How to eat your way to healthy blood pressure and results showing that Modified traditional Chinese cuisine can lower blood pressure.
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