Wellness Newsletter BMK Wellness Newsletter Nov - Dec 2018 | Page 2

Key minerals to help control blood pres-
sure
Published: July, 2014
It's usually best to get calcium, magnesium,
and potassium from food. Are you getting
enough?
A healthy, balanced diet plays a major role in blood pres-
sure control. And you should consume some specific min-
erals on a regular basis for good blood pressure manage-
ment: calcium, magnesium, and potassium. But do most of
us get enough of these? "If you're eating a healthy diet, you
probably have nothing to worry about. But people eating a
diet of processed and canned foods might need to be con-
cerned, as well as people taking certain medications," says
Dr. Randall Zusman, director of the Division of Hypertension
at the Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center.
1 Potassium
Normal body levels of potassium are important for muscle
function, including relaxing the walls of the blood vessels.
This lowers blood pressure and protects against muscle
cramping. Normal potassium levels also are important for
the conduction of electrical signals in the nervous system
and in the heart. This protects against an irregular heart-
beat.
Potassium is found naturally in many foods, such as
prunes, apricots, sweet potatoes, and lima beans. But food
may not be enough to keep up your potassium levels if you
take a diuretic for high blood pressure such as hydrochloro-
thiazide (Esidrix, HydroDiuril). These drugs cause potassi-
um to leave your body in the urine, thereby lowering your
body's potassium levels. "I'd say at least a third of patients
on diuretics for heart failure or high blood pressure or ede-
ma don't get enough potassium from their diets. In those
cases, we do use supplements," says Dr. Zusman. Don't try
a supplement on your own. Too much potassium, like too
little, can lead to dangerous irregular heart rhythms.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of potassium
is 4.7 grams per day for both men and women ages 51 and
older.
1/2 cup canned white
beans: 595 milligrams (mg)
of potassium, 67 mg of magnesium,
and 96 mg calcium.
3 ounces of cooked
halibut: 490 mg of
potassium, and 91 mg of
magnesium.
1/2 cup cooked spinach:
419 mg potassium,
78 mg of magnesium, and
146 mg of calcium.
2 Magnesium
Magnesium helps regulate hundreds of body systems,
including blood pressure, blood sugar, and muscle and
nerve function. We need magnesium to help blood ves-
sels relax, and for energy production, bone development,
and transporting calcium and potassium. Just like potas-
sium, too much magnesium can be lost in urine due to
diuretic use, leading to low magnesium levels.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that most
older adults in the U.S. don't get the proper amount of
magnesium in their diets, although extreme magnesium
deficiency is very rare. It's best to get the mineral from
food, especially dark, leafy green vegetables, unrefined
grains, and legumes. The RDA of magnesium is 420 milli-
grams (mg) per day for men ages 50 and older; 320 mg/
day for women ages 50 and older.
Too much magnesium from a supplement or from magne-
sium-containing drugs such as laxatives may cause diar-
rhea. There are no known adverse affects of magnesium
intake from food.
3 Calcium
Calcium is important for healthy blood pressure because
it helps blood vessels tighten and relax when they need
to. It's also crucial for healthy bones and the release of
hormones and enzymes we need for most body functions.
We consume it naturally in dairy products, fish with
bones (such as canned salmon and sardines), and dark,
leafy greens.
The RDA of calcium for men ages 51 and older is between
1,000 and 1,200 mg per day. For women ages 51 and older
it's 1,200 mg per day. Unfortunately, most people get
about 700 mg of calcium in their daily diet. So should you
take a supplement to make up the difference?
That's tricky business. As we reported in June 2013,
some evidence shows calcium supplements increase the
risk of death from heart disease. "It's been controversial,
so most of us advise our patients to get their calcium
from food rather than from supplement pills," says Dr.
Zusman. If it's not possible to get enough calcium from
food, you can use a low-dose calcium supplement to
reach your daily RDA.
Source: Harvard Health
Publishing. “Key Miner-
als to Help Control Blood
Pressure - Harvard
Health.” Harvard Health
Blog, 16 July 2014,
www.health.harvard.edu/
heart-health/key-minerals
-to-help-control-blood-
pressure.
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