Research published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases ( examined whether magnesium supplementation could improve insulin sensitivity and blood pressure in overweight adults. The randomized, placebo-controlled study included 155 participants who received either 300 mg of magnesium daily or a placebo for 12 weeks.
Magnesium supplementation did not significantly improve insulin sensitivity. However, it did have a clinically meaningful effect on blood pressure in participants who were hypertensive at baseline. In this group, systolic blood pressure decreased by an average of 5.6 mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure decreased by an average of 2 mm Hg by the end of the study period.
Importantly, these blood pressure–lowering effects were observed only in individuals with elevated blood pressure at the start of the study. Participants with normal baseline blood pressure did not experience significant changes.
Why this matters:
This study suggests that magnesium supplementation may be a useful adjunct for blood pressure support in individuals with hypertension, while having little effect in normotensive individuals—supporting the idea that magnesium acts as a corrective rather than a universal blood pressure–lowering agent.
