REDUCTION OF BLOOD-PRESSURE WITH ORAL MAGNESIUM SUPPLEMENTATION IN WOMEN WITH MILD-TO-MODERATE HYPERTENSION

In a double-blind controlled trial, 91 middle-aged and elderly women w ith mild to moderate hypertension who were not on antihypertensive med ication were randomly assigned to treatment with magnesium aspartate-H Cl (20 mmol Mg/d) or placebo for 6 mo. Magnesium aspartate-HCl in the given dose was well-tolerated and was not associated with an increased frequency of diarrhea compared with placebo. At the end of the study, systolic blood pressure had fallen by 2.7 mm Hg (95% CI -1.2, 6.7; P = 0.18) and diastolic blood pressure by 3.4 mm Hg (1.3, 5.6; P = 0.003 ) more in the magnesium group than in the placebo group. Blood pressur e response was not associated with baseline magnesium status, as measu red by dietary magnesium intake and urinary magnesium excretion. Urina ry magnesium excretion in the magnesium group increased by 50% during the intervention period. No changes were seen in other biochemical ind exes, including serum concentrations of total and high-density-lipopro tein cholesterol. The findings suggest that oral supplementation with magnesium aspartate-HC1 may lower blood pressure in subjects with mild to moderate hypertension.