Recently (8-22) Jackie posted these PubMed abstracts. Here are a few excerpts from the abstracts, also a 2001 Citation awarded to Dr. K. Shivakumar, author of these articles, in recognition of his work in the field of cardiovascular diseases.
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Kumar BP, Shivakumar K, Kartha CC. Magnesium deficiency-related changes in lipid peroxidation and collagen metabolism in vivo in rat heart.
Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 1997 Jan; 29(1):129-34.

Magnesium deficiency is known to produce a cardiomyopathy, characterised by myocardial necrosis and fibrosis. ...Thus, the present study provides evidence of increased lipid peroxidation and net deposition of collagen in the myocardium in response to dietary deficiency of magnesium.

PMID: 9076947 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Shivakumar K. Model of cardiovascular injury in magnesium deficiency.
Med Hypotheses. 2001 Jan; 56(1):110-3.

Magnesium deficiency is known to produce cardiovascular lesions. ...This article cites evidence in support of a hypothesis that a fall in serum magnesium levels may trigger a temporal sequence of events involving vasoconstriction, hemodynamic alterations and vascular endothelial injury to produce pro-inflammatory, pro-oxidant and pro-fibrogenic effects, resulting in initial perivascular myocardial fibrosis which, in turn, would cause myocardial damage and replacement fibrosis.

PMID: 11133266 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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C. Kumaran and K. Shivakumar* Superoxide-mediated activation of cardiac fibroblasts by serum factors in hypomagnesemia
Free Radical Biology and Medicine, Vol. 31(7) (2001) pp. 882-886

Magnesium deficiency is known to produce myocardial fibrosis in different animal models, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. However, circulating levels of pro-oxidant and mitogenic factors are reported to be elevated in a rodent model of acute magnesium deficiency, suggesting a role for humoral factors in the pathogenesis of the cardiovascular lesions. ... The findings are consistent with the postulation that serum factors may activate cardiac fibroblasts via a superoxide-mediated mechanism and contribute to the fibrogenic response in the heart in magnesium deficiency.

PMID: 11585706 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Shivakumar K. Pro-fibrogenic effects of magnesium deficiency in the cardiovascular system.
Magnes Res. 2002 Dec; 15(3-4):307-15.

Magnesium deficiency is known to produce cardiovascular injury. A large body of experimental evidence supports the postulation that an immuno-inflammatory reaction and increased oxidative stress may damage the myocardium and vasculature in magnesium deficiency. Reparative/reactive fibrosis in response to the injury has, however, received little attention. Recent evidence from a rodent model of acute magnesium deficiency suggests that humoral factors may activate cardiac fibroblasts by a free radical-mediated mechanism and contribute to cardiac fibrogenesis. A similar mechanism may also promote cellular hyperplasia and increased matrix synthesis in the vasculature.

PMID: 12635886 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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[icmr.nic.in]

INDIAN COUNCIL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH

CHATURVEDI KALAWATI JAGMOHAN DAS MEMORIAL AWARD

2001 CITATION

DR. K. SHIVAKUMAR

The Chaturvedi Kalawati Jagmohan Das Memorial Award was instituted in 1975 by Dr. S.P. Chaturvedi in the memory of his parents. This prize is awarded once in three years to an eminent scientist, preferably a medical person, for his/her work in the field of Cardiovascular Diseases.

The Prize for 2001 is being presented to Dr. K. Shiva Kumar, Scientist-‘E’, Division of Cellular & Molecular Cardiology, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, for his research work on “Myocardial fibrosis in response to cerium and magnesium deficiency”.

The research work carried out by Dr. K. Shivakumar has led to the postulation of a neural pathway of activation of cardiac fibroblasts and delineation of a novel protective mechanism that may limit fibrogenesis in the aging myocardium and aetiopathogenesis of tropical endomyocardial fibrosis.

Dr. Shivakumar has more than 25 publications in reputed international and national scientific journals.

Zowie, Erling, the plot thickens and the culprit has been identified. Thank you very much.
PeggyM

Erling,

OK, OK, I'm pretty well convinced MgD is heavily implicated for most if not all AFrs.

I myself have a long history of anxiety, GERD, and binge-drinking - all of which will deplete Mg.

Problem for me is that Mg supplements (glycinate, taurate) ALWAYS make ectopy distinctly worse - this I can well do without. I remember you suggesting a while ago that this might be because the Mg is enervating my already irritable/inflamed cardiac cells. But I need the Mg to help with thye inflammation! My CRP is also a little high at 0.4. I know I'm somewhat MgD: my 24hr Mg-loading urine retention test came back as showing me to be mildly MgD, and my RBC Mg was right at bottom of range. How do you think I should best address this quandry? I have just this morning started to re-use the ConcenTrace mineral drops (180mg Mg per 30 drips in water) and am planning to up Mg-rich foods in my diet. I trust that making sure I also get plenty of K-rich foods too will asssist in the Mg not causing me too much in the way of increased ectopy. I also take a good ol' slug of refined fish oil every morning. Other than that, no supplements.

Just wondering, did you have your intracellular Mg tested at any stage in the past, and if so, what was the result? It would be MOST revealing if all or at least many here had their intracellular Mg tested out...... Anyone??

Thanks for your continued excellent postings Erling,

Mike F.

Mike - I've had intracellular Mg analysis for several years.... here's what mine were:

11/02 2.2 (range 1.3 - 2.5)
1/03 2.3
6/03 2.3

different lab - and after increased Mg intake

2/04 5.2 (4.2 - 5.8 range)
6/04 6.3


Vitamin D helps reduce inflammation.... I've got a post on this topic...will do it soon. May help you.

Erling - nicely done, as usual.

Dr. Shivakumar's research is certainly important work. Thanks for that summary.


Jackie

Mike,
You could maybe try the true-food from of Mg that can be obtained from www.highernature.co.uk
I break a tablet into 2 or 3 pieces and eat them through the day.
Joyce

Hi Mike,

As always, thanks for your response and good comments. Sorry to have been a bit slow in answering. You are obviously not alone on this forum in having Mg supplementation make things worse. I sympathize with your dilemma and wish I had answers.

No, I never did have intracellular Mg tested. It would have been very useful to have had magnesium deficiency explored when I was first dealing with afib, but I now see that the "board certified cardiologists" that I sought out were really clueless about such things. Probably IC testing didn't exist in '95, but they should at least have entertained the possibility of MgD, because I reported many suggestive symptoms, including frequent muscle cramps.

Knowing I'm just an 'experiment of one' (Lab Rat 1) I still look for what is common in this affliction. MgD must be extremely common amongst afibbers ( >80% of population), and researchers such as Dr. Shivakumar have made it very clear that MgD over time will cause the sort of damage that can lead to afib. But healing such damage will no doubt require much more than just overcoming MgD -- all required nutrients plus abundant cellular energy for the chemistries involved must be provided.

Based on my personal experience as Lab Rat 1 and on much reading, I have gained enormous confidence in the body's innate powers to heal itself -- in my case to sufficiently rid itself of cardiac damage (fibrosis?) to reestablish constant NSR. The popular book 'Spontaneous Healing' by Andrew Weil, MD goes into this very well, starting at the healing of damage to DNA incurred during cell replication and going on up to tissues and organs. This 1995 book, the same year as my first full blown afib event and hospitalization, gave me encouragement to dig for answers.

In Part II, 'Optimizing Your Healing System: An Overview', he writes: "Healing requires energy. Energy is supplied by metabolism, the process of conversion of caloric energy in food to chemical energy that the body can use for its various functions. Malnourished people are not good candidates for spontaneous healing. Even people who eat enough may not metabolize well for one reason or another; despite their caloric intake, they may suffer deficits of energy that impede healing."

This is why supplemental CoQ10 might be very important for many -- without a doubt it has been for me. In the cells' production of ATP (energy) it is an absolute requirement, and its internal synthesis drops off markedly with age. Is this one reason for afib tending to be age related? Lowered energy for self healing, for building enzymes for controlling fibrosis? But many other nutrients and internally produced substances are required in ATP synthesis.

Best wishes, Mike!

Erling

Joyce,

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll give it a go.

Erling,

Thanks for the continued and helpful input - so much to think about!

Mike F.