Effect of therapy with oral Mg++ on blood pressure and lipids in patients with borderline hypertension, hyperlipidemia and magnesium deficiency

Hypomagnesia has been implicated in the pathogenesis of both hypertension a nd hyperlipidemia. We used atomic absorption spectroscopy to study the plas ma and intracellular (erythrocytes) Mg++-concentrations in 15 untreated pat ients with borderline hypertension and hyperlipidemia (Frederickson type II and IV) and in 25 normotensive healthy control subjects. Additionally we s tudied the effect of therapy with 240 mg oral magnesium per day on blood pr essure and plasma cholesterol and trygliceride concentrations. Total erythr ocytic Mg++ content was lower in hypertensive patients than in controls (1. 56 +/- 0.08 mmol/l vs 1.79 +/- 0.16 mmol/l, p < 0.05). Plasma Mg++ concentr ations were not different between groups (0.86 +/- 0.15 vs 0.88 +/- 0.14 mm ol/l). After four weeks of oral supplementation with 240 mg Mg++ per day in tracellular Mg++ content increased significantly in patients (1.77 +/- 0.19 mmol/l, p < 0.05). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure of hypertensive p atients normalized after therapy (before therapy 153 +/- 11/93 +/- 5 mmHg, after therapy 130 +/- 8/83 +/- 8 mmHg, p < 0.05). Plasma cholesterol decrea sed from 295 +/- 45 mg/dl to 255 +/- 26 mg/dl, p < 0.05) and plasma triglyz erides decreased from 198 +/- 47 mg/dl to 163 +/- 41 mg/dl, p < 0.05). We c onclude that Mg++ deficient patients with borderline hypertension and hyper lipidemia profit from oral magnesium supplementation with regard to their b lood pressure levels and lipid metabolism.