Are Magnesium & Calcium Good for High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure, or hypertension, can lead to serious health problems such as heart enlargement, arterial disease and even heart attack or stroke. Mild cases of high blood pressure are often treatable with dietary modifications and an exercise regimen. Unfortunately, more severe cases can require multiple drugs. Recent studies have been conducted to find out whether the minerals calcium and magnesium may contribute to lower blood pressure levels and better heart health.

Calcium

• Increase your dietary intake of calcium. There appears to be a connection between deficiencies in calcium and the development of high blood pressure, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. But does calcium help to reduce blood pressure levels that are already high?

  The Linus Pauling Institute at the University of Oregon conducted a study that tested the blood pressure levels of people who followed particular diets for eight weeks. The diets included a control group that ate few vegetables, fruit and dairy products, a group that ate plenty of fruits and vegetables and a group whose diet included low-fat dairy products and fruits and vegetables. The group that ate dairy consumed approximately 1,200 more milligrams of calcium per day than the control group. This group showed the highest decrease in blood pressure over the other groups. The difference was greater in the people who already had high blood pressure, leading to an average reduction of 11.4 millimeters Hg for systolic blood pressure and 5.5 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure compared with the control group.

  So far, dietary calcium is the only form of calcium that has shown any significant reduction in blood pressure. As of the end of 2009, it was unclear whether taking calcium supplements have any effect on lowering blood pressure.

Magnesium

• Eat foods, such as flaxseed, almonds and fruit, that are rich in magnesium, potassium and fiber to combat high blood pressure. Although often sold with calcium supplements, it is less clear whether magnesium has any effect on lowering blood pressure. The Linus Pauling Institute states that there does seem to be a correlation between blood pressure levels and magnesium. However, it is unclear whether this is due to other factors that are commonly found in magnesium-rich foods, such as high amounts of fiber or potassium.

  A four-year study showed that diets that included higher amounts of magnesium, potassium and fiber resulted in fewer cases of high blood pressure. Studies have yet to reveal strong evidence that magnesium has a significant impact in preventing or reducing high blood pressure.