Intracellular Magnesium and Heart Failure

Low magnesium levels are surprisingly common in those with a heart condition known as HFpEF, where the heart pumps well but is too rigid to fill properly with blood. While routine blood tests can check magnesium levels, they don't tell us how much magnesium is actually inside the heart and muscle cells, where it's vital for energy and overall function. Our research aims to get a clearer picture by looking directly at the magnesium inside these cells and understanding its role in the body's energy production and usage. We're also interested in how magnesium levels affect symptoms and the body's handling of sugar. We're using advanced medical imaging techniques, like heart magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other heart and muscle function tests, at rest and when the heart is working hard to help answer these questions. We'll compare the magnesium levels inside the cells before and after giving a supplement of magnesium to see if this can make a difference in how the heart and muscles work.