Highlights
- Oral magnesium therapy is associated with a 9% reduction in the risk of heart failure (HF) hospitalization or death among patients with baseline hypomagnesemia (serum magnesium <1.7 mg/dL).
- The clinical benefit of supplementation is most pronounced in patients with severe deficiency (serum magnesium <1.3 mg/dL), showing a 19% reduction in adverse outcomes.
- Supplementation in patients with normomagnesemia (1.7–2.3 mg/dL) was associated with an 11% increased risk of HF hospitalization or death, suggesting a narrow therapeutic window.
- These findings from a cohort of over 54,000 US Veterans emphasize the importance of baseline-guided electrolyte management in heart failure.
Background: The Silent Electrolyte in Heart Failure
Heart failure (HF) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, characterized by complex neurohormonal activation and electrolyte imbalances. Among these, magnesium—the second most abundant intracellular cation—plays a critical role in cardiac physiology. Magnesium acts as a natural calcium channel blocker, regulates vascular tone, maintains sinoatrial node stability, and serves as a cofactor for over 300 enzymatic reactions, including those involving ATP production. Despite its importance, magnesium is often overlooked in routine clinical practice compared to potassium or sodium.
Hypomagnesemia is frequent in HF patients, often exacerbated by the chronic use of loop diuretics, thiazides, and certain renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors, which promote renal magnesium wasting. While observational data have long linked low serum magnesium with increased risks of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, clinical evidence regarding the efficacy of oral magnesium supplementation has been sparse and inconsistent. The study by Yin et al., recently published in the European Heart Journal, provides a critical, large-scale evaluation of how oral magnesium therapy impacts real-world outcomes in US veterans with heart failure.
Study Design: A Comprehensive Real-World Analysis
This study utilized a massive longitudinal dataset from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, spanning from 2001 to 2023. The researchers identified 54,696 veterans diagnosed with HF who also presented with hypomagnesemia (defined as serum magnesium <1.7 mg/dL). Within this group, 10,695 patients were initiated on oral magnesium therapy, with a median dose of 420 mg per day.
To mitigate the inherent biases of observational research, the investigators employed a rigorous propensity score-matched design. They balanced 10,549 treated patients against 10,549 untreated controls across 71 baseline characteristics, including age, comorbidities, medication use (such as ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and diuretics), and baseline magnesium levels. This process was performed while remaining blinded to the outcomes. A secondary matched cohort of 11,634 patients with normomagnesemia (1.7–2.3 mg/dL) was also assembled to determine if supplementation provided benefit—or harm—to those without a documented deficiency.
Key Findings: Benefits for the Deficient, Risks for the Sufficient
The results reveal a clear, baseline-dependent relationship between oral magnesium therapy and clinical outcomes. In the hypomagnesemia cohort, 20.1% of patients receiving oral magnesium experienced the primary composite endpoint of HF hospitalization or death within one year, compared to 21.7% in the untreated group. This corresponds to a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.86–0.97), indicating a statistically significant 9% reduction in risk.
Subgroup Analysis: The Threshold of Benefit
The researchers conducted a granular subgroup analysis based on the severity of the magnesium deficiency. The findings suggest that the lower the baseline magnesium, the greater the benefit of supplementation:
- Serum Magnesium <1.3 mg/dL: HR 0.81 (95% CI: 0.71–0.93), a 19% risk reduction.
- Serum Magnesium 1.3–1.5 mg/dL: HR 0.91 (95% CI: 0.84–0.98).
- Serum Magnesium 1.6 mg/dL: HR 0.99 (95% CI: 0.88–1.12), showing no significant benefit.
The interaction P-value for the <1.3 mg/dL subgroup was 0.03, confirming that the severity of deficiency is a significant modifier of the treatment effect.
The Danger of Over-Supplementation
Perhaps the most striking finding was the outcome in the normomagnesemia cohort. Patients with baseline magnesium levels between 1.7 and 2.3 mg/dL who were given oral magnesium actually fared worse. The rate of HF hospitalization or death was 19.5% in the treated group versus 17.8% in the control group (HR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.02–1.21). Spline regression analysis further illustrated this U-shaped relationship, showing that risks began to rise when supplementation was introduced to patients with serum levels above 1.8 mg/dL.
Expert Commentary: Mechanistic Insights and Clinical Application
The biological plausibility of these findings is strong. In the setting of heart failure, hypomagnesemia predisposes the myocardium to triggered activity and re-entrant arrhythmias by increasing intracellular calcium and shortening the refractory period. Correcting this deficiency likely stabilizes the electrical environment of the heart. Furthermore, magnesium’s role in improving endothelial function and reducing systemic vascular resistance may alleviate the hemodynamic load on a failing heart.
However, the potential harm in normomagnesemic patients warrants caution. Excessive magnesium can lead to bradycardia, hypotension, and impaired neuromuscular transmission. In patients with heart failure who may also have varying degrees of renal impairment, the risk of hypermagnesemia is non-negligible. This study reinforces a fundamental principle of clinical pharmacology: the therapeutic benefit of a supplement is often confined to those who are deficient.
While the study is robust due to its large sample size and sophisticated matching, it has limitations. The US Veteran population is predominantly male, which may limit generalizability to female patients. Additionally, as an observational study, it cannot definitively prove causality, and the specific formulations of oral magnesium used were not standardized.
Conclusion: Moving Toward Personalized Electrolyte Management
The study by Yin et al. provides compelling evidence that oral magnesium therapy should be considered a targeted intervention rather than a universal supplement in heart failure management. For patients with serum magnesium levels below 1.5 mg/dL, and especially those below 1.3 mg/dL, oral magnesium is associated with significant improvements in one-year survival and reduced hospitalizations. Conversely, clinicians should exercise restraint in prescribing magnesium to patients with levels above 1.7 mg/dL, as it may paradoxically worsen outcomes.
Future prospective randomized controlled trials are necessary to confirm these thresholds and to establish standardized dosing protocols. Until then, these results serve as a powerful reminder that in the management of heart failure, precise monitoring of the “silent electrolyte” is essential for optimizing patient care.
References
Yin Y, Costello RB, Fonarow GC, Heidenreich PA, Morgan CJ, Faselis C, Cheng Y, Zullo AR, Liu S, Lam PH, Rosanoff A, Vargas JD, Gottlieb SS, Deedwania P, Moore HJ, Shao Y, Sheriff HM, Wu WC, Zeng-Treitler Q, Ahmed A. Oral magnesium and outcomes in US veterans with heart failure. Eur Heart J. 2025 Dec 4:ehaf881. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf881. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41338273.
