The effects of magnesium oxide on mild essential hypertension and quality of life

The role of magnesium (Mg) in the pathophysiology and treatment of primary hypertension has been recently identified. To evaluate the effects of Mg supplementation on mild hypertension and quality of life, 83 patients were randomly assigned to receive either placebo (n = 41) or Mg (n = 42) after a placebo run-in phase of 4 weeks. The patients in the Mg group received 200 mg oral Mg oxide daily. All patients underwent periodic measurements of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate and 24-hour noninvasive BP monitoring at the start and end of the study. Serum and urinary electrolytes were also evaluated. To analyze quality of life, all patients completed the questionnaire. Treatment was administered and the measurements of BP were performed in a double-masked fashion. Data demonstrated a significant reduction in systolic BP values at 12-week follow-up in patients treated with Mg compared with both the pretreatment values and the values in the placebo group, whereas no difference was found in diastolic pressure. The 24-hour noninvasive monitoring of BP showed no significant differences between the two groups in systolic and diastolic values. The analysis of the questionnaire demonstrated a lower score (indicating a good quality of life) with a Likert-type scale at 12-week follow-up in the Mg group (67.58 ± 5) than in the placebo group (73.23 ± 8), with a corresponding significant improvement in psychosocial variables, general well-being, and work status. A significant difference was also found in the treatment group when the values at follow-up were compared with those at baseline (73.58 ± 6). These results show that Mg oxide positively influences the quality of life, although it exercises only a weak action on arterial BP