Exploring Magnesium's Impact on Hypertension

A study with 115 million participants showed that 49.64% of people asked had hypertension. 61.03% of those with the disease were either elderly or obese.

Only 39.64% of participants had well-controlled hypertension. Exercise and diet are proven and effective ways to help manage the chronic disease. However, other methods, like supplements, are a bit less assured.

For example, recent studies question the relationship between magnesium and hypertension. Can dietary supplements for hypertension help manage the disease?

Read on to learn more about hypertension and how (if at all) magnesium can help. We'll also discuss foods high in magnesium and helpful blood pressure management tips.

What Is Hypertension?

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is when the pressure in your blood vessels is too high. Another way to look at blood pressure is that it's the force of blood against artery walls.

Blood pressure in healthy adults is less than 120/80 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury). Hypertension is blood pressure over 140/90 mm Hg.

The upper and lower numbers are systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively. Systolic blood pressure measures the force of blood pumped out via heart contractions.

Diastolic blood pressure measures the pressure in the arteries when your heart rests and fills with blood. Various things that increase someone's risk of hypertension, including:

• Genetics
• Being overweight or obese
• Being physically inactive
• Drinking too much alcohol
• A high-sodium diet
• Older age

Blood vessels stiffen as we age. It may help to think of younger blood vessels as more elastic and better able to accommodate blood flow.

Stiffer vessels have less elasticity, so blood presses against them more firmly. Stiffening blood vessels happens regardless of an older adult's health.

Symptoms and Health Complications From Hypertension

A person can lead a healthy life and feel fine while still having stiffening vessels. Many people with high blood pressure don't feel any symptoms. However, higher blood pressure may present as:

• Headaches
• Chest pain
• Dizziness
• Blurred vision
  • Or other visual changes
• Difficulty breathing
• Nausea
• Anxiety
• Confusion
• Buzzing ears
• Nosebleeds
• Heart arrhythmia
  
  • A heartbeat that's too slow, fast, or otherwise irregular

High blood pressure can also lead to more severe health complications, like kidney damage. Specifically, it can damage the blood vessels in the kidneys, which harms their blood-filtering abilities.

High blood pressure can also cause coronary heart disease or narrowing of the heart's blood vessels, which may eventually lead to a heart attack.

Strokes and vascular dementia are other types of damage hypertension can cause. Both are caused by damaged blood flow to the brain.

How Are Magnesium and Hypertension Related?

In 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it wouldn't dispute qualified claims that magnesium may help reduce high blood pressure. Succinctly, dietary supplements for hypertension could help.

That said, the FDA specifies that the wording must establish that studies on magnesium and hypertension are inconclusive and inconsistent.

Supplements should not be used to substitute prescribed or professionally recommended hypertension treatment options. Ask your doctor before taking any supplements.

How Does Magnesium Influence High Blood Pressure?

Magnesium combats elevated blood pressure in two ways: the first is by neutralizing calcium in the blood vessels. Calcium helps vessels contract, which causes blood pressure to increase.

Magnesium replaces calcium within vessel walls, keeping them from tightening and your blood pressure low. The second way magnesium helps blood vessels is by mitigating injuries.

As our vessels age, they suffer wear and tear -- which causes stiffening. Magnesium can bind to harmful substances that harm the vessels and may even repair them.

However, we've just explained magnesium's natural role in managing blood pressure. You're here to discover whether taking extra magnesium will help reduce hypertension.

Magnesium Benefits for Seniors: What the Studies Show

Data mined from a collection of test trials showed magnesium lowered blood pressure by a few points. The effect increased at doses of over 370 mg daily.

Visible results took about a month, or three to four weeks, to show. A more recent 2021 study showed magnesium may work better in people with uncontrolled blood pressure.

Daily dosages of over 240 mg showed promise in people who combined it with a preexisting blood pressure prescription. Dosages above 600 mg affected hypertension in those not taking blood pressure drugs.

You might assume that all this means that low magnesium levels contribute to hypertension. Studies have demonstrated that this may be true in rats, but researchers are unsure if this is true for humans.

So, should you take dietary supplements for hypertension? Studies show supplements may help, but researchers are still trying to determine their effectiveness. Again, ask your doctor for advice.

Effective Hypertension Treatment Options

Earlier, we said exercise and diet are great ways to combat hypertension. Keeping a healthy weight means less work for your heart. The less effort your heart exerts, the less blood pressing against your vessels.

Excess fat also damages the kidneys, which help regulate blood pressure by filtering impurities from the blood. A healthy diet helps with blood pressure in two ways: healthy foods help maintain a lower weight.

It's also safer to get food from magnesium as it can be hard to vet good supplements. Magnesium-rich foods for health include:

• Spinach
• Yogurt
• Peanuts
• Pumpkin seeds
• Peanut butter
• Bananas
• Legumes
• Beans
• Potatoes

Limiting alcohol intake and stress reduction are effective ways to reduce hypertension; lifestyle changes can generally make a difference in blood pressure.

Of course, when that's not enough, medications like diuretics, ACE inhibitors, and beta blockers may work. These should be taken under a doctor's oversight.

Understanding Magnesium and Hypertension

Researchers don't fully comprehend the relationship between magnesium and hypertension. We know magnesium helps manage high blood pressure, but whether it can lower it isn't completely understood.

Exercise and stress management can help reduce the health risks of hypertension. Granville Place Assisted Living can provide these things for its residents.

Our community offers exercise classes and long garden walks. Medication management will help residents properly take their medications.

Having help with ADLs and assurance of professional aid on standby can be a huge stress reliever. Contact us to help make your loved one's golden years easier.