Is your water killing you?
Much of your daily magnesium should come from drinking water, but tap
and bottled water often contain little or none! Don’t let this
deplorable deficiency jeopardize your plaque-control program. Want to read the rest of this Track Your Plaque Special Report?
Already a member? CLICK HERE to log-in. Copyright 2005, Track Your Plaque.
Humans evolved in a world where drinking water flowed from natural
streams, rivers, and lakes rich in mineral content. Our bodies adapted
to obtaining minerals, especially magnesium, from natural water sources.
In the modern industrial world, municipal and home water treatment
converts “hard” into “soft” water and most magnesium is removed. It is
not uncommon to have nearly zero quantities of magnesium in city water
supplies. American municipal water is a mosaic of quality ranging from
excellent to virtually undrinkable. Just sample the water on a
state-to-state drive and you’ll immediately be struck with the variation
in taste.
It’s no wonder that many people have turned to bottled water in
frustration, not to mention convenience. But bottled water has only
served to worsen the situation. The great majority of brands sold in the
U.S. contain little or no magnesium. If you rely exclusively on bottled
water, you are likely obtaining no magnesium from your water.
Several studies have also demonstrated that magnesium intake is dropping
precipitously because Americans indulge in magnesium-depleted processed
foods. Soft drinks are manufactured using de-ionized water and are
essentially devoid of magnesium. Carbonated beverages, like soda,
contain phosphates that bind magnesium in the intestinal tract, making
it unavailable for absorption.
As a result, the average American ingests substantially less than the
Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of 420 mg per day for men, 320 mg/day
for women. Daily deficiencies of 30% or more each and every day are
frighteningly common. In the cities with the greatest magnesium water
content, only 30% of the RDA can be obtained by drinking two liters of
tap water per day. More commonly, only 10–20% can be obtained.
Low magnesium—a worldwide health issue
Measurable increases in the numbers of sudden death victims have been
reported in municipalities with the lowest water magnesium levels. These
observations have caught the attention of national and international
public health officials. A recent World Health Organization (WHO) report
on the quality of drinking water cited 80 studies that have examined the
relationship between cardiovascular death and water hardness (measured
principally by magnesium and calcium content). The WHO concluded that
magnesium content of water is indeed a cardiovascular risk and should
become a priority for water supplementation.
“…results from the early epidemiologic studies suggest that sudden death
rates in soft water areas are at least 10% greater than sudden death
rates in hard water areas. If Mg supplementation causes even a modest
decrease in sudden death rates a substantial number of lives might be
saved.”
Mark J. Eisenberg, MD, MPH
McGill University
Magnesium—crucial nutrient for health
Magnesium is a crucial nutrient required for the proper functioning of
approximately 300 enzymes in the human body. Functions as diverse as
blood pressure regulation, muscle contraction, heart rhythm
stabilization, and nervous system communication are all
magnesium-dependent processes. Humans cannot survive without magnesium
in the food or water supply.
Magnesium blood levels are routinely monitored in hospitalized patients,
particularly if diuretics (e.g., furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide) are
administered. It is an everyday fact of life in hospitals that when
blood levels of magnesium are low, abnormal heart rhythms can suddenly
develop. Dangerous ventricular rhythms (ventricular tachycardia and
Torsade de Pointes) can result. People suffering from congestive heart
failure are especially susceptible to these rhythms when magnesium
levels are low. People prone to a common rhythm, atrial fibrillation,
can suffer recurrences due to low magnesium levels. In the hospital,
magnesium is easily replaced through intravenous supplementation.
Blood magnesium levels are, however, poor reflections of true body
(intracellular) magnesium. If blood magnesium is low, you do indeed have
low—very low— cellular magnesium levels. But if your blood magnesium is
normal, you may still have low cellular or tissue levels of magnesium.
The most striking reduction in tissue magnesium is found in heart muscle
(myocardium). Unfortunately, determination of tissue magnesium levels is
not easy to obtain in living, breathing humans. In one study, only 7.7%
of coronary patients were low in blood measures of magnesium, while
tissue levels were reduced in an astounding 53%. (Some cardiologists
will therefore administer intravenous magnesium to patients with rhythm
disorders, even when blood magnesium is in the normal range.) In effect,
a blood magnesium test only helps if it’s low. Normal levels don’t
necessarily mean anything.
Then how do you know whether your tissue magnesium level is low? Several
signs can tip you off:
Want to become a member? CLICK HERE
Want to learn more about the benefits of membership? CLICK HERE
