Magnesium and the heart

The concentration of the elements Zn, Cu, Mg, Fe, Na, and K in human amniotic fluid during birth

“…The metabolism of copper and zinc in AF äs determined by amniocentesis may be an important indicator for normal fetal development or the presence of congenital anomalies. Magnesium: Magnesium, next to potassium, one of the important intracellular cations influences metabolism in many ways based on its properties of displacing calcium ions and of forming complexes with adenosine triphosphate.Thesymptomatology of magnesium deficiency comprises cerebral, cardio-vascular, tetanic, and visceral signs of disease [3,7,19], Information on magnesium levels in AF is available only during early pregnancy [14,17,22,23]. Our analysis shows that the magnesium level of AF is always lower than that in the maternal serum [17], Iron: The iron content of AF has been determined by UYENG [22] and MISCHEL [14] in late pregnancy.…”

The effect of magnesium deficiency and excess on bovine coronary artery tone and responses to agonists

“…Similarly, Altura & Altura (1971) In order to interpret the present data in the context of human magnesium deficiency it is necessary to comment briefly on what has been called 'the water story'; namely the hypothesis that a deficiency of some mineral in soft water or the presence of some factor in hard water accounts for an increased incidence of heart disease in certain localities (e.g. Anderson et al, 1975;Chipperfield & Chipperfield, 1977). When the present findings, together with other available information are taken into consideration it seems improbable that variations in the magnesium content of drinking water could conceivably be sufficient to explain regional differences in cardiovascular mortality.…”

“…It is well known that even a few minutes of anoxia may lead to a loss of intracellular cations in cardiac tissue (e.g. magnesium and potassium) (Singh, Flear, Nandra & Ross, 1972;Chipperfield & Chipperfield, 1977) and, consequently, magnesium depletion of myocardium may well be a consequence of the hypoxic event initiated by spasm of presently undetermined origin (Karppanen et al, 1978) rather than its cause. According to Polimeni (1975) 'electrolyte redistributions do not cause cardiac arrest but-are a consequence of agonal ischaemia'.…”

Role of Magnesium in Cardiac Disease

“…In the last decade several reviews have been concerned with the relevance of Mg 2+ in cardiac disease (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7). Nevertheless, the role of Mg 2+ qualitively and quantitatively is not fully appreciated by most physicians, while some are inclined to overemphasize its importance.…”