Observational epidemiologic studies have observed an inverse relationship between daily dietary magnesium intake and blood pressure (BP). Except for BP, magnesium may also beneficially affect other cardiovascular risk markers. Whether all these effects translate into improved vascular function is not known. Different vascular function markers at various stages on the pathway between diet and disease exist. One of these markers, vascular stiffness, is closely related to the process of atherosclerosis, an independent cardiovascular risk factor, and predictive of future cardiovascular events and mortality. To examine the integrated effects of interventions on cardiovascular risk, vascular stiffness may therefore serve as a marker at the later stage of cardiovascular disease development. Therefore, it is imperative to examine in a 24-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-way parallel-group human intervention study, the effect of magnesium on vascular stiffness. Focus will be on carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), the gold standard for the evaluation of vascular elasticity, to quantify vascular stiffness. Urinary excretion of magnesium will be used to assess dietary magnesium uptake. Furthermore, time courses of an increased magnesium intake on changes in BP, other markers reflecting vascular function, and plasma biomarkers related to low-grade inflammation and vascular activity will be measured to unravel possible cause-effect relationships.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
52
One capsule thrice daily that contains magnesium citrate (total daily dose: 350 mg elemental magnesium) at breakfast, lunch and dinner for 24 weeks
One capsule thrice daily that contains placebo at breakfast, lunch and dinner for 24 weeks
Maastricht University Medical Center
Maastricht, Netherlands
Vascular stiffness: effects of magnesium citrate supplementation
Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV)
Time frame: Baseline (0 weeks) and after medium-term (12 weeks) and long-term (24 weeks) magnesium citrate supplementation
Vascular function markers: effects of magnesium citrate supplementation
Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery, pulse wave analysis (PWA) (also at 12 weeks), peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) and retinal microvascular diameters (also at 12 weeks)
Time frame: Baseline (0 weeks) and after long-term (24 weeks) magnesium citrate supplementation
Metabolic risk markers related to the metabolic syndrome: effects of magnesium citrate supplementation
Biomarkers for low-grade inflammation and endothelial activation
Time frame: Baseline (0 weeks) and after medium-term (12 weeks) and long-term (24 weeks) magnesium citrate supplementation
Blood pressure: effects of magnesium citrate supplementation
Office (also at 12 weeks) and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure
Time frame: Baseline (0 weeks) and after long-term (24 weeks) magnesium citrate supplementation
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