February is American Heart Month and we’re spotlighting magnesium's starring role in heart health. This essential mineral is vital for allowing muscles - specifically the heart muscle– to relax and maintain a steady heartbeat.

Like all muscles, the heart depends on interactions with calcium and magnesium to contract and relax. Calcium triggers the heart muscles to contract while magnesium blocks calcium, allowing the heart muscle to relax. By relaxing the walls of your blood vessels, magnesium can help keep your blood pressure down. It also may help boost your HDL, or “good,” cholesterol levels.

Getting enough magnesium—310 to 320 mg for adult women and 400 to 420 mg for adult men, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)—helps your heart rhythm stay healthy.

To learn more:

https://www.healthline.com/health/heart-health/magnesium-heart-health-what-to-know#Magnesium-and-your-heart

https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-diet-magnesium