Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., M.S.

An athletic 40 year man is playing basketball and suddenly collapses on the court and dies.

An avid runner dies after finishing his early morning run.

The sad truth is 1 out of 50,000 adults will fall victim to Sudden Death.

Most sudden deaths have been linked to a thickened, enlarged heart called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), or by a condition that disturbs the rhythm of the heart called an arrhythmia.

When one sweats, a significant amount of magnesium is lost. Magnesium is the most under-recognized electrolyte disorder in the U.S. Dr. Mildred Seelig, one of the country's leading authorities on magnesium suggests that 80%-90% of the population is deficient is magnesium

It is beyond the extent of this article why the public is being denied the truth of the seriousness of magnesium deficiency and sudden death. The amount of medical research could fill a book, but it is unfortunately being ignored.

According to Micheal A. Brodsky M.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Medicine and the director of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Service at the University of California, mineral imbalances interfere with the heart's normal nerve function.

While most athletes have been conditioned to drink a potassium rich drink after sweating, very few have been educated on the dangers of a magnesium deficiency. Dr. Brodsky states that arrhythmia therapy should focus on replenishing two key minerals: potassium and magnesium.

Almost all physicians have known for some time just how vital potassium is for normal heartbeat.

However, magnesium is an entirely different story.

According to Carla Sueta M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine and cardiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine "apparently, many doctors still don't realize how important a role magnesium can play in some heart patients.

In fact, most never check the magnesium level. She has shown through her research that magnesium reduced the incidence of several types of ventricular arrhythmia by 53 to 76 percent.

Magnesium deficiency can be induced by the very drugs meant to help heart problems. Some types of diuretics (water pills) cause the body to excrete both magnesium and potassium, as does digitalis.

And magnesium deficiency is often at the bottom of what's called refractory potassium deficiency. The amount of magnesium in the body determines the amount of a particular enzyme that determines the amount of potassium in the body," he explains. So if you are magnesium-deficient, you may in turn be potassium-deficient, and no amount of potassium is going to correct this unless you are also getting enough magnesium.

The Best Test To Determine Your Level of Magnesium

Although most physicians rarely check this important mineral, the few that do usually rely on test called Serum Magnesium. Unfortunately, this test only measures approximately 1% of the magnesium in your body; a poor test at best.

The "Gold Standard" and the most accurate test is the RBC Erythrocyte Mineral Test. The erythrocyte is the red blood cell that floats in our serum to carry oxygen to our cells.

The minerals this test analyzes from inside the red blood cell includes magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, potassium, selenium, vanadium and zinc.

Common Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency

The most common symptoms include back and neck pain, muscle spasms, anxiety, panic disorders, Raynaud's spastic vessels, arrhythmia, fatigue, eye twitches, vertigo, migraines.

Best Sources of Magnesium

The best way of insuring enough magnesium is to eat a variety of whole foods, including whole grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables, preferably food grown on naturally composted soil. The green color of green vegetables is due to chlorophyll, which is a molecule that contains magnesium. Avoid refined processed foods, especially white sugar and white flour products, as most magnesium is removed from them.

Dr. Grisanti's Comments:

I bet you know a lot of people who are still chasing their cholesterol levels in hopes that lowering it will prevent a cardiovascular incident.

How sad and how mis-informed!

As you can see from this article and the below medical citations, magnesium should be part of a routine cardiovascular blood test. However, remember, don't bother having your doctor order a serum magnesium. Demand that your doctor order the erthrocyte RBC blood test. Unless you have proof that your magnesium levels are within normal levels, you may likely be a walking time bomb.

References

Eisenberg MJ. Magnesium deficiency and sudden death. Am Heart J. 1992 Aug;124(2):544-9.

Fiset C, Kargacin ME, Kondo CS, Lester WM, Duff HJ. Hypomagnesemia: characterization of a model of sudden cardiac death. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1996 Jun;27(7):1771-6.

Altura BM, Altura BT. New perspectives on the role of magnesium in the pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system. I. Clinical aspects. Magnesium. 1985;4(5-6):226-44.

Singh RB, Singh VP, Cameron EA. Magnesium in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and sudden death. Acta Cardiol. 1981;36(6):411-29.

Keren A, Tzivoni D. Magnesium therapy in ventricular arrhythmias. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol. 1990 Jul;13(7):937-45.

Shechter M. Does magnesium have a role in the treatment of patients with coronary artery disease? Am J Cardiovasc Drugs. 2003;3(4):231-9

Shechter M, Shechter A. [Magnesium and myocardial infarction.] Clin Calcium. 2005 Nov;15(11):1873-7.

Weiss M, Lasserre B. Should magnesium therapy be considered for the treatment of coronary heart disease? I. A critical appraisal of current facts and hypotheses.Magnes Res. 1994 Jun;7(2):135-44.