Did You Know Low Magnesium Can Lead to Deadly Heart Rhythms?
Did you Know - Low Magnesium can lead to deadly heart rhythms
Low Magnesium can lead to significant heart rhythm abnormalities, which in turn can lead to death if not properly identified and treated.
“Torsades des Pointes” is a potentially life-threatening heart rhythm that can result from low magnesium.
The image below shows a cardiac monitor as the heart goes from beating normally, to “torsades des pointes.”
(Images courtesy of Life in the Fast Lane)
The cause of the abnormal ECG in this case, was low magnesium and low potassium.
The electrolyte abnormalities that can lead to Torsades des Pointes are:
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Low Magnesium
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Low Potassium
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Low Calcium
When these electrolytes are low (often due to severe vomiting or gastrointestinal losses), the electricity of the heart can be affected, which can lead to a change in appearance on the ECG. This change in appearance on the ECG can affect the contractility of the heart, which can lead to unstable blood pressure and loss of consciousness.
Interestingly - when a patient is found to have an ECG like the one above, intravenous Magnesium is first line treatment to help treat torsades des pointes. It is often given empirically, even before the electrolyte results are back on the bloodwork panel. In these cases, treatment with magnesium can help restore more normal conduction of electricity within the heart
What does this all mean?
Low magnesium, potassium and calcium can lead to electrical conduction issues within the heart.
When the electricity of the heart is affected, this can lead to life-threatening arrhythmias.
When the ECG shows electrical conduction issues suspected to be from electrolyte abnormalities, the best initial treatment is Magnesium!
(Even if bloodwork ends up showing potassium and/or calcium are also low)
The body does an amazing job of maintaining homeostasis, but sometimes severe illness (i.e. with gastrointestinal losses) may deplete the body’s stores.
Why include magnesium in a daily hydration drink?
When you combine the fact that:
1) 75 percent of Americans do not meet the recommended dietary allowance of magnesium (Thomas et. al in 2003)
2) The potential risk of heart rhythm abnormalities associated with low magnesium,
… it only makes sense to include magnesium supplementation in a daily hydration drink!
We have chosen a dose of magnesium that respects the recommended daily intake, and is safe and effective in a daily hydration drink.
Welcome to Juice Doctor - you may not always agree with what we have chosen to include or omit, but we will always provide a rationale to our decision making!