Statins and Magnesium

May 12, 2025/Andrew Le

Statins are often prescribed, yet they sometimes cause muscle pain, weakness, or fatigue.

Magnesium may not only boost the effects of statins but also protect your muscles and improve your cholesterol levels. 

But, could adding magnesium make statin therapy safer and more effective? Research offers some clear answers. 

In this article, you will discover how statins and magnesium work, how they interact, and why their combination could be a game-changer.

🔑 Key Takeaways

➤ When you take magnesium with statins, your good cholesterol (HDL) can go up and your bad cholesterol (LDL) can go down more than with statins alone.

➤ Magnesium may help statins enter liver cells more easily, so the medicine can work better at lower doses.

➤ Adding magnesium can protect your muscles and reduce the risk of statin-related aches.

➤ Studies show that combining magnesium and statins does not cause serious side effects and is safe for most people.

➤ The mix of magnesium and statins might also support bone health and reduce inflammation.

➤ Overall, using magnesium alongside statins could make cholesterol treatment more effective and easier to tolerate.

Statins: Mechanism of Action for High Cholesterol

Statins work by targeting a key enzyme in the liver called HMG-CoA reductase. 

According to a book, this enzyme helps produce cholesterol inside the liver. When statins block it, the liver makes less cholesterol. Because the liver senses there’s less cholesterol inside, it starts pulling more of it from the blood. How? It increases the number of LDL receptors on its surface, which collect the bad cholesterol. This leads to lower bad cholesterol and total cholesterol levels in the bloodstream.

Not only do statins reduce cholesterol, but they also slow down the liver’s production of apoB100-containing lipoproteins. These particles carry cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, so cutting their production means even lower blood fat levels. The COSMOS trial, for example, found that rosuvastatin significantly reduced plaque volume in coronary arteries, and this effect occurred even when LDL levels didn’t change much—pointing to other helpful actions of statins.

That’s because statins also block isoprenoid synthesis. Isoprenoids are needed to activate certain cell signaling proteins like Ras and Rho. By shutting these down, statins reduce inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune overreactions. They also make blood vessel plaques more stable and prevent dangerous clot formation. These extra benefits are often called “pleiotropic effects,” and they play a big role in reducing heart disease risks.

Magnesium Mechanism of Action for High Cholesterol

Magnesium doesn’t lower cholesterol the same way statins do, but it plays an important supportive role. Magnesium is a required helper (or cofactor) for over 300 enzymes, many of which are involved in energy production, blood sugar control, and fat metabolism. One of its key roles is helping the body create ATP—the energy currency of cells. Without magnesium, cells can’t use ATP properly.

Magnesium also plays a part in regulating how fat and cholesterol are processed. It helps control the activity of enzymes that handle lipid metabolism, including lipoprotein lipase, which breaks down triglycerides, and HMG-CoA reductase—the same enzyme statins block. 

So, magnesium might naturally help slow cholesterol production, though much more gently than statins.

In addition, magnesium influences both bad and good cholesterol levels. When people get enough magnesium, their good cholesterol goes up and bad cholesterol goes down. It also improves insulin sensitivity and reduces inflammation, which are both important because metabolic issues often go hand-in-hand with high cholesterol.

Low magnesium levels, which affect over half of adults in developed countries, may lead to poor cholesterol balance and higher cardiovascular risk. Since magnesium is mostly stored in bones and muscles, the body uses it as a reservoir to support long-term balance. However, the kidneys excrete excess amounts, so the balance must be maintained through diet or supplements.

Clinical Evidence Supporting the Combination Use of Statins and Magnesium

Using magnesium together with statins seems to make the treatment work better than using statins alone. Magnesium helps boost HDL, LDL and triglycerides, and even helps statins work better inside the liver. It might also lower the chance of side effects like muscle damage and could help protect bones. 

Overall, the combination could improve heart and bone health more than statins alone. Let’s explore more below.

Synergistic Effects on Cholesterol and Lipid Profiles

Several studies have shown that using magnesium together with statins can bring better outcomes than using statins alone. 

According to one study, magnesium supplementation combined with statin therapy improves lipid profiles by influencing key enzymes involved in cholesterol metabolism, such as HMG-CoA reductase and lecithin-cholesterol acyl transferase (LCAT). Their analysis highlighted that magnesium acts by modulating the activity of LCAT, resulting in a boost in good cholesterol and a decrease in bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels. This is important because statins alone mainly target cholesterol synthesis but do not activate enzymes like LCAT, which magnesium does.

In another study, 40 hyperlipidemic patients were divided into two groups. One group received only atorvastatin, while the other received atorvastatin plus magnesium sulfate. After three months, the combination group showed significantly higher serum magnesium, plasma LCAT, and HDL-cholesterol levels, along with significantly lower total cholesterol, bad cholesterol, and triglyceride levels compared to the atorvastatin-only group. Interestingly, although creatine kinase (CK) levels, a marker for muscle damage, were not fully prevented from rising, magnesium supplementation delayed their increase, suggesting some protection against statin-induced myopathy.

Improvements in Drug Action and Reduced Side Effects

Another exciting finding showed that magnesium could actually improve how statins enter liver cells. Using an experimental model, they demonstrated that higher magnesium concentrations increased the passive diffusion of statins like pravastatin, atorvastatin, and simvastatin into hepatocytes. 

This suggests that magnesium might help statins work better at lower doses, potentially reducing the risk of side effects.

Finally, a study investigated the combined effect of magnesium and simvastatin on bone loss induced by a high-fat diet in mice. Their findings revealed that the combination therapy significantly reduced bone loss, cholesterol synthesis, and osteoclast formation compared to using simvastatin alone. This hints that magnesium might not only help with lipid control but could also support bone health when used with statins.

Safety and Side Effects of Combining Magnesium and Statins

Now, is it safe to take magnesium supplements while using statin medications? Let’s answer below.

A Safe Combination with Few Concerns

The combination of magnesium and statins is generally considered safe, based on several clinical studies. 

According to a study, magnesium supplementation rarely causes serious adverse effects. The most common issue reported was mild gastrointestinal discomfort, such as brief diarrhea, which usually resolves on its own. No cases of severe reactions like liver damage or kidney problems were linked to magnesium when added to statin therapy.

Furthermore, one study pointed out that magnesium, unlike statins, does not raise liver enzymes or contribute to new cases of diabetes. Instead, it appears to offer a layer of protection, especially for muscles, where statins are known to cause problems like muscle pain and weakness (myopathy). Magnesium’s protective role against muscle damage could make statin treatment easier for patients to tolerate.

Can taking supplements change how medications work in your body? 

The same study above answered this question by showing that magnesium can slightly improve how statins move into liver cells. Importantly, this effect was seen without increasing toxicity or causing new safety problems. 

Instead, it could make lower doses of statins more effective, which might also reduce the chance of side effects.

No New Major Risks Found

Animal studies provide even more reassurance. One study showed that using magnesium with simvastatin did not cause any signs of toxicity in mice, even over a long period. This supports the idea that magnesium can be safely combined with statins without harming major organs like the liver, kidneys, or muscles.

In short, clinical and experimental studies agree: combining magnesium with statins is safe for most people. While magnesium may cause occasional mild stomach upset, it does not bring the serious side effects that statins sometimes cause. 

Instead, it may make statin therapy safer and more tolerable, helping patients stick to their prescribed treatments and protect their overall health.

Final Words

Statins are powerful at lowering bad cholesterol, but they can bring side effects that make treatment hard to stick with. Adding magnesium can help. It helps improve cholesterol numbers and also supports muscle and bone health. Because magnesium can help statins work better inside the liver, it may allow lower doses with fewer problems. 

This approach offers a safer, stronger way to protect the heart. Of course, it is important to talk to a healthcare provider before making changes. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can taking magnesium help with cholesterol?

Yes. Magnesium helps lower bad cholesterol (LDL), raise good cholesterol (HDL), and reduce fat in the blood (triglycerides).

What happens if you don’t have enough magnesium?

Low magnesium can cause tiredness, muscle cramps, high blood pressure, and higher risk of diabetes and heart problems.

Why do statins sometimes cause muscle pain?

Statins can lower a substance called CoQ10, which your muscles need for energy. That can lead to pain or weakness.

How does magnesium help with statin side effects?

Magnesium may protect muscles and help prevent pain or cramps that some people get from taking statins.

Sources

  • Nartea, R., Mitoiu, B. I., & Ghiorghiu, I. (2023). The link between magnesium supplements and statin medication in dyslipidemic patients. Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 45(4), 3146–3167. https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb45040205.
  • El-Haggar, S. M., & Mostafa, T. M. (2014). Role of magnesium supplement on hyperlipidemia and L-CAT level in patient on atorvastatin therapy. Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International, 4(12), 1521–1534. https://doi.org/10.9734/BJPR/2014/11145.
  • Sarr, F. S., Guillaume, Y. C., & André, C. (2008). Magnesium cation effect on passive diffusion of statin molecules: Molecular chromatography approach. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 47(3), 651–657. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpba.2008.02.008.
  • Sarr, F. S., Guillaume, Y. C., & André, C. (2008). Magnesium cation effect on passive diffusion of statin molecules: Molecular chromatography approach. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 47(3), 651–657. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpba.2008.02.008.
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