Mitral Valve Prolapse
From the Rodale book, Prevention's Healing with
Vitamins
Only one nutrient, magnesium, is thought to be helpful for
symptoms related to mitral valve prolapse. But vitamins that work
in conjunction with magnesium, especially vitamin B6, also are
often recommended by some experts.
NUTRIENTS, DAILY AMOUNTS, AND APPLICATIONS
Magnesium: 200-800 milligrams
Vitamin B6: Up to 100 milligrams
MEDICAL ALERT!
If you have been diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse, you
should be under a doctor's care.
People with heart problems or kidney problems should take
magnesium only under medical supervision.
Take B6 supplements in excess of 100 milligrams per day only
under the supervision of your doctor.
Easing Symptoms of a Troubled Heart
Normally, the valves that regulate blood flow through the
heart close neatly, snapping shut with the lub-dub sound that we
recognize as a heartbeat.
In mitral valve prolapse, however, an additional
click--lub-dit-dub--is added to the heartbeat. The extra sound
occurs because the valve between the two left chambers of the
heart is pushed out of shape by high blood pressure in the
compressing heart. The valve pops upward, almost like a parachute
being snapped in the wind. The condition happens when one of the
fibrous cords that hold the valve in place stretches out too far
or when either of the two leaflets that make up the valve is
elongated, thickened or floppy. If the valve does not seal
perfectly, blood may leak backward, causing the swishing noise
that's known as a heart murmur.
"Mitral valve prolapse syndrome is considered a hereditary
disorder," explains Kristine Scordo, RN, PhD, assistant professor
at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, director of the
Mitral Valve Prolapse Program of Cincinnati and author of Taking
Control: Living with the Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome. "People
with the disorder--and there are three times as many women as
men--are often tall and slender, with long arms and fingers and
thin chests."
Although mitral valve prolapse usually causes no
life-threatening problems, it has been associated with an array
of disturbing symptoms, including heart palpitations, chest pain,
shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, anxiety, headaches and
mood swings. Doctors refer to these collectively as mitral valve
prolapse syndrome. "These symptoms aren't caused by the valve
itself," Dr. Scordo says. "But they are often part of the
package."
These symptoms seem to be caused by disturbances in the body's
autonomic nervous system. That's the nervous system that works
without conscious control and governs the glands, the heart
muscle and the tone of smooth muscles, such as those of the
digestive system, the respiratory system and the skin.
"People with mitral valve prolapse often have overreactive
autonomic nervous systems," explains Sidney M. Baker, MD, a
general practitioner in private practice in Weston, Connecticut,
with a special interest in mitral valve prolapse. "Their bodies
have a hard time adjusting to changes in the environment. They
may be sensitive to light and noise, for instance."
"The symptoms are believed to be caused by a number of
physiological changes and can often be helped by dietary changes.
In fact, dietary changes are often all that's needed to alleviate
symptoms," Dr. Scordo says.
Here's what is recommended.
Magnesium Plays a Role
There's no doubt that minerals play important roles in a
properly beating heart. Both the nerves that coordinate the
heartbeat and the muscles that contract to move blood through the
heart need magnesium in order to do their jobs.
One mineral that has gotten some attention when it comes to
mitral valve prolapse is magnesium. Several studies have found
that a high percentage of people with mitral valve prolapse have
lower than normal magnesium levels.
And one study by researchers at the University of Alabama
School of Medicine in Birmingham found that supplemental
magnesium relieved many of the symptoms associated with this
disorder.
The study, of 94 people with mitral valve prolapse, found that
62 percent of them had low red blood cell levels of magnesium.
Those people were also more likely to have additional symptoms:
muscle cramps, migraines and a condition called orthostatic
hypotension, in which their blood pressure dropped when they
first stood up, making them light-headed.
Fifty of the 94 people took 250 to 1,000 milligrams of
magnesium daily, in addition to their regular treatment, for four
months to four years.
Overall, there was a 90 percent decrease in muscle cramps, a
47 percent decrease in chest pain and a definite decrease in
blood vessel spasms in the people taking magnesium, reports the
study's main researcher, Cecil Coghlan, MD, professor of medicine
at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. Palpitations
also were markedly less, and a certain kind of heart arrhythmia
called premature ventricular contraction was reduced by 27
percent. People taking magnesium also reported fewer migraines
and less fatigue.
Magnesium deficiency can be induced by the very drugs meant to
help heart problems, such as digitalis and some types of
diuretics (water pills). These drugs cause the body to excrete
both magnesium and potassium, leaving people in short supply of
these nutrients.
Others most likely to come up short on magnesium, in Dr.
Scordo's opinion: those who drink a lot of soft drinks or
alcohol, those under stress and anyone eating a poor diet with
lots of calories from sugar or fat. "The consensus among
magnesium watchers is that it is one of the most prevalent and
important deficiencies in North America," according to Dr. Baker.
Poor diet is to blame.
"We tell people to make sure that they are getting the Daily
Value of magnesium, 400 milligrams, through either foods or
supplements," Dr. Scordo says. But because people employ a number
of dietary changes to relieve their symptoms, "it's very hard for
us to know if the magnesium is helpful or not," she adds.
Dr. Baker recommends from 200 to about 800 milligrams of
magnesium a day, along with nutrients that work with magnesium,
such as vitamin B6. "People who are going to respond will begin
to see improvement in their symptoms within a few days," he
says.
Although magnesium is considered to be a fairly safe mineral,
even in high doses, people with any heart problems or kidney
problems should take supplements only under medical supervision.
Too much magnesium could cause a dangerous buildup of the mineral
in the blood.
Note that people can have normal blood levels of magnesium and
still have short supplies in their tissues. If you are severely
deficient, you may benefit by initially getting intravenous
magnesium or high oral doses, Dr. Baker says. This treatment, of
course, would have to come from your doctor.
Studies show that men get about 329 milligrams of magnesium
daily, while women average 207 milligrams. Meats are a good
source of magnesium, but for heart-healthy sources, try steamed
or broiled halibut and mackerel, rice bran, nuts, seeds, tofu and
green, leafy vegetables such as spinach and Swiss chard.
"And since the magnesium that's found in plants depends on the
amount of magnesium in the soil, I recommend organically grown
produce, which contains a better balance of minerals than produce
grown with potassium-rich inorganic fertilizers," Dr. Baker
adds.
Unlike magnesium, vitamin B6 can be toxic in large doses. Take
B6 supplements in excess of 100 milligrams per day only under the
supervision of your doctor.
Food Factors
The following dietary adjustments won't correct a faulty
mitral valve. "But they will help relieve many of the symptoms
associated with the disorder," explains Kristine Scordo, R.N.,
Ph.D., assistant professor at Wright State University in Dayton,
Ohio, director of the Mitral Valve Prolapse Program of Cincinnati
and author of "Taking Control: Living with the Mitral Valve
Prolapse Syndrome."
These dietary changes are just as important as any vitamin or
mineral supplement that you take, experts say. In fact, two
dietary recommendations, less caffeine and less sugar, help your
body retain the magnesium it needs.
Junk the java. Some of the most bothersome symptoms of mitral
valve prolapse--anxiety, chest pain, shortness of breath--worsen
when people consume too much caffeine. "Caffeine is a stimulant
and has an adrenaline-like effect, which exaggerates the problems
of mitral valve prolapse," Dr. Scordo says. "We tell people to
avoid coffee, cola, tea and chocolate altogether, if they
can."
Ditch the sweets. That sugar high you've heard of is for real,
Dr. Scordo says. Foods that contain sugar that's quickly
absorbed, such as candy, cookies, soda and the like, make your
body pour out insulin. That greatly increases the activity of the
sympathetic nervous system, the body's "accelerator," making
symptoms worse.
Go for eight a day. Glasses of water, that is. Again, this is
to maintain normal blood pressure. "Even slight dehydration can
aggravate symptoms of light-headedness and dizziness," Dr. Scordo
says. "Most people can alleviate these symptoms in about two
weeks just by getting enough fluids and salt."
Diet with care. Crash diets and fad diets aren't just
ineffective in the long run. Most of the initial weight loss
that's achieved is through water loss, just the opposite of what
someone with mitral valve prolapse symptoms needs. If you do need
to lose weight, doctors suggest going for a steady one pound a
week.
This page was first uploaded to The Magnesium Web Site on
November 23, 2002
http://www.mgwater.com/
Healthy Water
Association--USA