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4) Cardiovascular problems
A deficiency of magnesium can affect the heart more than any organ of the body. Arrhythmias, irregular heart rhythm, is a major tell-tale sign of magnesium deficiency. Heart muscles require calcium and potassium for proper contractility and magnesium helps to maintain their levels in the cell.
Levels of calcium and potassium are disturbed which leads to arrhythmias. Heartbeats can be slow, fast, or variable which should be treated as a medical emergency. Research has revealed that patients with low magnesium levels are more prone to coronary artery diseases.
A deficiency of magnesium can also cause atherosclerosis which is the narrowing and hardening of blood vessels. It causes calcium deposition in cholesterol plaques in blood vessels leading to calcification of blood vessels. Increases in cholesterol levels in the blood are commonly seen with magnesium deficiency leading to numerous diseases like myocardial infarction and sudden ischemic heart disease. A decrease in magnesium can result in loss of elasticity in blood vessels which obstruct normal blood flow to different organs of the body including the heart and kidney.
