Heart Arrhythmias
Heart arrhythmias can be further divided into bradycardia (slow beating of the heart) and tachycardia (fast beating of the heart). Both conditions are linked to a deficiency of specific minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium. The character of the heart beating associated with magnesium deficiency is tachycardia.
In most cases, magnesium deficiency causes mild symptoms of cardiac arrhythmia. However, it may cause heart palpitations (feeling of the racing heart) in some people, which are intervals of fast-beating between heartbeats. Other possible symptoms of irregular heartbeat secondary to low levels of magnesium include lightheadedness, chest pain or fainting, and shortness of breath. If diagnosed later or left untreated, heart arrhythmias may double the risk of heart failure.
Some patients with lower levels of magnesium than healthy people have also shown congestive heart failure – a build-up of fluid around the heart that causes it to pump inefficiently. Although these people usually have more than once cause of this condition -treating them with mineral supplements of magnesium sulfate and potassium is proven to reduce symptoms and improve the prognosis of the disease. Adding these supplements with cardiac medications can also significantly improve heart function.