High Blood Pressure
People with high blood pressure (hypertension) also have a decreased amount of magnesium. Therefore, magnesium can be used to treat hypertension and may even help prevent high blood pressure. In one study of 18 people who had been taking medication for hypertension but didn’t have enough success lowering their blood pressure, increasing their magnesium intake helped significantly reduce both systolic and diastolic pressures. The researchers suggested that magnesium’s ability to relax smooth muscle tissue is responsible for its positive effect on hypertension and its possible role in protecting against heart disease.
