How can magnesium benefit my heart?

How can magnesium benefit my heart?

Rose Marie Robertson, MD, FAHA, FACC, FESC (Chief Science Officer and Past President of the Board of American Heart Association) gives expert video advice on: How is alcohol abuse related to heart conditions?; Is red wine good for my heart?; What is the "French paradox"? and more...

Magnesium is a very important chemical in the body. And in fact, in patients who have heart rhythm problems, it's really quite important to be certain that their magnesium levels are normal. So magnesium levels are often checked in patients who are having serious ventricular arrhythmias. On the other hand, supplementing magnesium in people in whom it's not low doesn't appear to have a beneficial effect. And that's now been studied, in a large study supported by the National Institutes of Health, and benefit in taking supplementary magnesium was not seen.