Suplementação com magnésio na prevenção e tratamento de doenças cardiovasculares

Abstract

Magnesium (Mg2+) is the cofactor in more than 300 enzymatic reactions. It is found in the largest amounts stored in the bones and only 1% circulates in the blood. Hypomagnesaemia is a common condition in the majority of the population, with 70% of Brazilians being deficient in this mineral. Low levels of Mg2+ serum were associated with increased mortality rates from all causes of cardiovascular disease. We have examined in collective research the benefits that oral Mg2+ supplementation can bring to the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. In the vasculature, Mg2+ acts as a calcium antagonist. It interferes with the prevention and progression of atheroma plaques, decreases vascular calcification and acts on the release of the NO and prostaglandins which trigger vascular relaxation. It also plays an important role in cardiac electrophysiology, because it is an essential cofactor to sodium-potassium ATPase pump, promotes membrane stability and excitability of cardiac cells. Mg2+ is important for the metabolism, as it acts on numerous enzymes of the glucose metabolic pathway, participates in the process of insulin secretion by -pancreatic cells, assists in the control of the lipid profile as a cofactor for enzymes that hydrolyze lipids and modulate the synthesis of cholesterol. All these cellular effects justify the beneficial findings of Mg2+ supplementation in studies of patients with cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases and their complications. Moreover, oral Mg2+ supplementation appears to be safe. Nevertheless, caution should be exercised in special groups of patients, such as those with atrial fibrillation and chronic renal failure.