Circulating and dietary magnesium and risk of cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies123

https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.112.053132Get rights and content
Under an Elsevier user license
open archive

ABSTRACT

Background:

Clinical hypomagnesemia and experimental restriction of dietary magnesium increase cardiac arrhythmias. However, whether or not circulating or dietary magnesium at usual concentrations or intakes influences the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including fatal ischemic heart disease (IHD), is unclear.

Objective:

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate prospective associations of circulating and dietary magnesium with incidence of CVD, IHD, and fatal IHD.

Design:

Multiple literature databases were systematically searched without language restriction through May 2012. Inclusion decisions and data extraction were performed in duplicate. Linear dose-response associations were assessed by using random-effects meta-regression. Potential nonlinear associations were evaluated by using restricted cubic splines.

Results:

Of 2303 articles, 16 studies met the eligibility criteria; these studies comprised 313,041 individuals and 11,995 CVD, 7534 IHD, and 2686 fatal IHD events. Circulating magnesium (per 0.2 mmol/L increment) was associated with a 30% lower risk of CVD (RR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.56, 0.88 per 0.2 mmol/L) and trends toward lower risks of IHD (RR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.75, 1.05) and fatal IHD (RR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.37, 1.00). Dietary magnesium (per 200-mg/d increment) was not significantly associated with CVD (RR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.75, 1.05) but was associated with a 22% lower risk of IHD (RR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.67, 0.92). The association of dietary magnesium with fatal IHD was nonlinear (P < 0.001), with an inverse association observed up to a threshold of ∼250 mg/d (RR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.86), compared with lower intakes.

Conclusion:

Circulating and dietary magnesium are inversely associated with CVD risk, which supports the need for clinical trials to evaluate the potential role of magnesium in the prevention of CVD and IHD.

Cited by (0)

1

From the Departments of Nutrition (LCD, SEC, and DM) and Epidemiology (FI, JHYW, MCdOO, and DM), Harvard School of Public Health, Boston MA, and the Division of Preventive Medicine (SEC) and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine (DM), Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (DM).

2

Supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), NIH (R21 HL 109924). LCD was supported by a doctoral fellowship from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. FI was supported by an NHLBI Administrative Supplement Award (3R01-HL085710-03S1). MCdOO was supported by the Harvard-Bunge Fellowship Program in Nutrition & Health, an unrestricted educational grant from Bunge LLC.

3

Address correspondence and reprint requests to LC Del Gobbo, 655 Huntington Avenue, Building 2-349, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail: [email protected].

4

Abbreviations used: CVD, cardiovascular disease; IHD, ischemic heart disease; RDA, Recommended Dietary Allowance; SCD, sudden cardiac death.