News • Higher intake, lower risk

Could magnesium save women from fatal heart disease?

A new prospective study based on data from the Women's Health Initiative found a potential inverse association between dietary magnesium and fatal coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women.

The study, which also showed a trend between magnesium and sudden cardiac death in this population, is published in Journal of Women's Health.

Photo

Image source: Patrick J. Lynch, medical illustrator; C. Carl Jaffe, MD, cardiologist, Heart anterior exterior view, CC BY 2.5

Charles Eaton, MD, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and a large team of researchers from various institutions, coauthored the article entitled "Association of Dietary Magnesium Intake with Fatal Coronary Heart Disease and Sudden Cardiac Death: Findings from the Women's Health Initiative." The researchers examined magnesium intake at baseline for more than 153,000 postmenopausal women and identified the development of fatal coronary heart disease and sudden cardiac death over the subsequent 10.5 years of follow-up. The data revealed that higher magnesium intake was associated with statistically significant risk reduction in fatal coronary heart disease and a reduction in risk of sudden cardiac death.

Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Women's Health and Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women's Health, Richmond, VA, states: "If the findings of this study are confirmed, future research should test whether high-risk women would benefit from magnesium supplementation to reduce their risk of fatal coronary heart disease."


Source: Alpert Medical School of Brown University

02.01.2020

Read all latest stories

Related articles

Photo

News • Gender bias

Dangerous double standard in heart disease prevention advice for women and men

Women are told to improve their lifestyle to prevent heart disease while men are advised to take statins. That’s the finding of a study presented at the ESC Asia scientific congress.

Photo

News • Menopause research

Hot flashes: a hazard for the heart?

Not just uncomfortable, but hard on the heart: Accumulating research suggests a link between hot flashes during the menopause and cardiovascular disease risk in women.

Photo

Article • Sex differences in heart failure

Why a closer look at a woman’s heart matters

The hearts of men and women are different – while this insight has been established for quite some time now, it might even surprise cardiologists just how deep these differences really run. In her…

Related products

Subscribe to Newsletter