Short Answer: Magnesium is good for high cholesterol. Because it has magnesium ions and they can lower your bad cholesterol, raise your good cholesterol, and improve your blood circulation.
High cholesterol is a condition that affects your blood.
In high cholesterol, your body has too much of a fatty substance called cholesterol in your blood.
This can lead to various health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, and atherosclerosis.
One of the key factors in managing high cholesterol is diet.
What you consume can affect your cholesterol levels, which can impact your high cholesterol symptoms and overall health.
To effectively manage high cholesterol, you should consume magnesium-rich foods like spinach, almonds, and tofu and avoid saturated fat-rich foods like butter, cheese, and bacon.
Now, magnesium is a mineral that is essential for many bodily functions, such as nerve and muscle activity, blood pressure regulation, and energy production.
People usually get magnesium from their diet or take supplements if they are deficient.
Magnesium is good for high cholesterol because it contains magnesium ions, which can regulate the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase.
This enzyme is responsible for making cholesterol in the body.
When there is enough magnesium, the enzyme is inhibited and less cholesterol is produced.
When there is not enough magnesium, the enzyme is overactive and more cholesterol is produced, especially the bad type (LDL).
100 mg of magnesium can give you about 25% of your daily needs.
Magnesium ions can lower your total cholesterol by about 12% and your LDL cholesterol by about 18%.
They can also raise your HDL cholesterol (the good type) by about 4% and lower your triglycerides (another type of fat in the blood) by about 10%.
These effects can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Furthermore, magnesium is a vasodilator and an anti-inflammatory.
A vasodilator is something that relaxes and widens your blood vessels, allowing more blood to flow through them.
An anti-inflammatory is something that reduces inflammation, which is a response to injury or infection that can damage your tissues.
Both of these properties are good for high cholesterol because they can improve your blood circulation, lower your blood pressure, and prevent plaque buildup in your arteries.
You can take 300 to 400 mg of magnesium per day safely.
More than that can cause diarrhea, nausea, or abdominal cramps.
You should also consult your doctor before taking magnesium supplements if you have kidney problems, heart problems, or diabetes, as they may interact with your medications or affect your electrolyte balance.
You can buy magnesium supplements online as well as offline.
To buy it online, there are many brands and marketplace to choose from.
But as a nutritionist I recommend Nature’s Bounty Magnesium from Amazon.
Because it has high quality, good reviews, and reasonable price.
Finally, remember, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet, regular exercise, stress management and essential medical care is key to managing high cholesterol effectively.
I always recommend my high cholesterol patients to follow a high cholesterol-friendly diet to improve their overall well-being, and enjoy a longer and healthier life.