LETTER
Lancet, vol. 340: August 22, 1992, p 483
Dietary magnesium and prediction of heart disease
Sir, The LIMIT-2 trial (June 27, p 1553) makes a most
important contribution to a confused topic -- ie, the relevance
of magnesium to ischaemic heart disease (IHD). This new evidence
establishes the value of magnesium in the treatment of myocardial
infarction. But what is its role in prevention before infarction?
Magnesium has long been of interest in relation to IHD. One
observation consistent with an aetiological role is reduced
amounts in the myocardium of subjects whose deaths had been
certified as due to heart disease, even when death had been
"sudden". (1). The Caerphilly Heart Disease study of men aged
45-59 years at baseline (2, 3) has provided evidence that low
dietary magnesium is predictive of IHD. 7-day weighed dietary
records were kept by 665 men (4). Prevalent heart disease was
identified by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
questionnaire and by electrocardiography, with standard criteria
(5), and men were divided into those with symptomatic heart
disease (previous myocardial infarction and/or current angina; 97
men) and those with no relevant symptoms (568 men). Incident
heart disease events were identified during the following 5
years. These consisted of deaths certified as due to IHD (ICD
410-414) and non-fatal myocardial infarctions that fulfilled
World Health Organisation criteria (6). Mean daily intakes of
magnesium were:
No of Mean intake (SD)
men (mg Mg/day)
No symptomatic IHD at baseline
No incident event 540 310 (105)
An IHD event 28 274 (81)
Symptomatic IHD at baseline
No incident event 87 283 (91)
An IHD event 1091)
An IHD event 10 248 (86)
The mean daily intake of magnesium was about 12% lower in men
who later had an IHD event, both in those with IHD at baseline
and those without. Overall, the intake was lower by 38.9 mg (95%
confidence interval [CI] 5.3-72.6 mg) in those who had an event,
and adjustment for the presence or absence of baseline symptoms
reduces this difference to 35.6 mg daily (95% CI 2.0-69.1).
P.C. Elwood
A.M. Fehily
P.M. Sweetnam
J.W.G. Yarnell
MRC Epidemiology Unit (South Wales),
LLandough Hospital Penarth, South Glamorgan CF6 1XX, UK
1. Elwood PC, Sweetnam PM, Beasley WH, Jones D, France R.
Magnesium and calcium in the myocardium: cause of death and area
differences. Lancet 1980, ii:
720-22.
2. Caerphilly and Speedwell Collaborative Group. Caerphilly
and Speedwell collaborative heart disease studies. J Epidemol
Community Health 1984; 38: 259-62.
3. The Caerphilly Collaborative Heart Disease Stuties. Project
description and manual of operations. Cardiff, MRC Epidemiology
Unit, 1985.
4. Fehily A.M, Yarnell JWG, Butland BK. Diet and ischaemic
heart disease in the Caerphilly study. Human Nutr Appl
Nutr 1987; 41A: 319-26.
5. Bainton D, Baker IA, Sweetnam PM, Yarnell JWG, Elwood PC.
Prevalence of ischaemic heart disease: the Caerphilly and
Speedwell Surveys. Br Heart J 1988; 59;
201-06.
6. Yarnell JWG, Baker IA, Sweetnam PM, et al. Fibrinogen,
viscosity, and white blood cell count are major risk factors for
ischemic heart disease: the Caerphilly and Speedwell
Collaborative Heart Disease Studies. Circulation;
83: 836-44.
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