Magnesium for Heart Health: How It Supports Your Heart & Which Type Works Best

It's time to stop sleeping on magnesium for heart health. Sorry, fish oil. But when it comes to matters of the heart, this mighty mineral has a lot to offer, as well. Need more convincing? No problem. We've got answers to all your questions about magnesium for cardiovascular health.

What does magnesium do for heart health?

The health benefits of magnesium are far-reaching. Magnesium is involved in over 600 enzymatic reactions in the body. These enzymatic reactions regulate processes like protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, bone development and DNA synthesis, to name a few. But that's not all.

Researchers say magnesium plays a vital role in maintaining vascular and metabolic functions, making it important for promoting cardiovascular health. To get a little more specific, magnesium helps:

• Transport potassium and sodium across cells to promote healthy heart rhythms
• Relax and dilate smooth muscles within the blood vessels to support blood flow and already-healthy blood pressure levels
• Promote a healthy metabolism
• Inhibit oxidative stress
• Promote a healthy inflammatory response

How does magnesium help maintain normal heart rhythm?

There is a strong connection between magnesium and heart rhythm. But first, it's important to understand exactly how the heart beats.

Your heart's natural rhythm is the result of specialized cells transmitting electrical impulses that trigger the heart to contract and relax. Maintaining a steady heart rhythm is like conducting the world's biggest orchestra. There are a lot of moving parts, and each piece has to hit its timing just right for the electrical impulse—the music of the heart—to move fluidly. Here's a quick overview of how it all goes:

• A small cluster of specialized cells in the upper right atrium known as the sinoatrial node (SA node) sends an electrical signal to the top chambers of the heart, causing the heart to contract.
• The electrical impulse then moves toward the atrioventricular node (AV node), which is a cluster of cells at the center of the heart. These cells briefly slow down the electrical current, allowing the top chambers to pump.
• The electrical impulse finally moves to the bottom chambers of the heart. This contracts the ventricles and sends blood out of the heart and to other parts of the body.

Magnesium's role in all of this is to slow AV node conductivity. In simpler terms, magnesium essentially is the conductor that controls the timing of your heart's rhythm. Therefore, it's especially important to maintain healthy magnesium levels.

Can magnesium help support already-healthy blood pressure?

Magnesium can help relax the smooth muscles in your blood vessels, which allows the vessels to dilate or widen. Adequately sized vessels are crucial to blood pressure health. Why? Think of a one-lane road becoming two lanes. In the same way traffic flows much better through a wider roadway, blood flows better through dilated vessels. Where there's a steady flow, there's healthy blood pressure.

This isn't the only factor to blood pressure health, of course; many diet and lifestyle choices have a big influence. That being said, the magnesium and blood pressure relationship has been well-studied. In fact, a meta-analysis of 38 randomized controlled trials involving 2,709 participants found that those supplementing with oral magnesium for 12 weeks were better able to support their healthy systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to those who took a placebo.

What are signs you may need more magnesium?

Your body may or may not give you physical clues that you need more magnesium. We're all wired a little differently, after all. However, if you feel any of the telltale signs below or anything out of the ordinary, there's no harm in getting a lab test to check your levels:

• General fatigue
• Occasional muscle cramping
• Difficulty sleeping
• Changes in appetite

Which type of magnesium is best for heart health?

You've probably already noticed there are several different types of magnesium. And now you're wondering what's what. Is magnesium taurate for heart health? What about magnesium malate or citrate? The list is long, but the best magnesium for heart health is one of these (or some combination of them):

1. Magnesium oxide
2. Magnesium glycinate
3. Magnesium citrate
4. Magnesium succinate

Each of these forms of magnesium supports heart health and vascular function in similar ways. And as a bonus, each of these forms can also maintain other aspects of whole-body wellness, brain, nerve and bone health among them.

That said, there are some minor differences between magnesium glycinate versus citrate or citrate versus oxide. These differences may help you decide which type of magnesium is best for you.

Just remember: at the end of the day, the best magnesium for heart health is the one you tolerate well and take consistently.

Is it better to get magnesium from food or supplements?

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for magnesium is 400 to 420 milligrams per day for men and 310 to 320 milligrams per day for women. The RDA includes intake from all sources: food, beverages, supplements and even medications.

Generally speaking, getting nutrients from your food is the preferred choice. Luckily, you won't have a hard time finding magnesium foods for heart health.

Some of the foods with the highest concentration of magnesium include:

• Pumpkin seeds
• Almonds
• Spinach
• Beans
• Whole grains like quinoa, brown rice and whole wheat bread

Pro tip: Your body does not naturally produce magnesium, and you may not get the recommended daily amount from diet alone. The amount of magnesium in foods is largely influenced by environmental factors, agricultural practices and processing techniques.

One scoping review on the current research claims that the magnesium content in fruits and vegetables has significantly dropped within the last fifty years, with about 80% of the mineral lost during food processing.

If you're concerned about your magnesium intake from food, consider adding an oral magnesium supplement. It may also make sense to take a magnesium supplement based on your age, activity level or specific health goals.

What time of day should you take magnesium for heart health?

When taking magnesium for heart health, you can take it any time of day. That said, if it helps you remember to take magnesium more consistently, then add it to your nighttime routine.

Brush your teeth, wash your face and take your magnesium. Whether you take it with food or on an empty stomach depends on the formula. Read the label and follow the directions.

Although you don't need to be finicky about how you time your magnesium supplement, the same can't be said for other minerals that may be in your repertoire. For instance, zinc and iron are best taken about four hours apart from other vitamins and minerals to avoid competition with absorption.

Who should not take magnesium for heart support?

Magnesium is generally well-tolerated and safe. However, if you're wondering if your medical history plays well with magnesium or aren't sure if magnesium is right for you, be sure to speak with your healthcare provider first.

How long does it take to notice heart-related benefits from magnesium?

It's hard to say. Most studies on magnesium for heart health were conducted over the course of many weeks or months. Specific results may vary. Again, what is most important is that you take magnesium consistently and follow it up with a healthy diet and lifestyle routine.

Even the most powerful supplements cannot substitute for creating balanced meals, exercising regularly, getting adequate sleep and managing stress levels.

References

• Argeros Z, et al. “Magnesium Supplementation and Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials." Hypertension. November 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41000008/
• Cazzola R, et al. “Going to the roots of reduced magnesium dietary intake: A tradeoff between climate changes and sources." Heliyon. November 2020. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33204877/
• Siddiqui RW, et al. “The Connection Between Magnesium and Heart Health: Understanding Its Impact on Cardiovascular Wellness." Cureus. October 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11585403/