Research on the Mineral Magnesium
The following research abstracts
are presented to reflect the findings of possible benefits from
minerals as a dietary supplement and nutritional supplement.
You will find more on the ionic
magnesium page.
GENERAL MAGNESIUM RESEARCH
American Journal of Emergency
Medicine (USA), 1997, 15/2 (182-187)
Intravenous magnesium
has been suggested as a treatment for certain emergency conditions
for more than 60 years. It is currently proposed to be beneficial
in treating asthma, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, myocardial infarction,
and cardiac arrhythmias. The use and efficacy of the drug, however,
are controversial. This article discusses the current state
of magnesium sulfate research and
therapy.
DIS. MON. (USA), 1988, 34/4 (166-218)
Magnesium is an important element
for health and disease. Magnesium, the second most abundant
intracellular cation, has been identified as a cofactor in over
300 enzymatic reactions involving energy metabolism and protein
and nucleic acid synthesis. Approximately half of the total
magnesium in the body is present
in soft tissue, and the other half in bone. Less than 1% of
the total body magnesium is present
in blood. Nonetheless, the majority of our experimental information
comes from determination of magnesium
in serum and red blood cells. At present, we have little information
about equilibrium among and state of magnesium
within body pools. Magnesium is absorbed uniformly from the
small intestine and the serum concentration controlled by excretion
from the kidney. The clinical laboratory evaluation of magnesium
status is primarily limited to the serum magnesium
concentration, 24-hour urinary excretion, and percent retention
following parenteral magnesium.
However, results for these tests do not necessarily correlate
with intracellular magnesium. Thus,
there is no readily available test to determine intracellular/total
body magnesium status. Magnesium
deficiency may cause weakness, tremors, seizures, cardiac arrhythmias,
hypokalemia, and hypocalcemia. The causes of hypomagnesemia
are reduced intake (poor nutrition or IV fluids without magnesium),
reduced absorption (chronic diarrhea, malabsorption, or bypass/resection
of bowel), redistribution (exchange transfusion or acute pancreatitis),
and increased excretion (medication, alcoholism, diabetes mellitus,
renal tubular disorders, hypercalcemia, hyperthyroidism, aldosteronism,
stress, or excessive lactation). A large segment of the U.S.
population may have an inadequate intake of magnesium
and may have a chronic latent magnesium
deficiency that has been linked to atherosclerosis, myocardial
infarction, hypertension, cancer, kidney stones, premenstrual
syndrome, and psychiatric disorders. Hypermagnesemia is primarily
seen in acute and chronic renal failure, and is treated effectively
by dialysis.
SCAND. J. CLIN. LAB. INVEST.
SUPPL. (United Kingdom), 1994, 54/217
It is clear now that although
different ionophores for ionized Mg (IMg2+)
have been designed by several groups, each of these has a distinctly
different K(MgCa). In view of this, it is important to determine
whether each of these ion selective electrodes (ISE's) yield
identical results for IMg2+ in sera
from healthy and diseased humans. Using such an approach, we
determined, in a blinded-and random manner, IMg2+
with both the NOVA and KONE ISE's for IMg2+
in two independent laboratories. No significant differences
were found either for sera from healthy human volunteers or
diseased patients. We did, however, note several interesting
findings: 1. randomly, selected hospitalized patients exhibit
a much higher incidence of abnormalities for IMg2+
(57-71%) than that noted previously for total Mg (TMg) measurements;
and 2. coronary heart disease, rectal cancer and multiple sclerosis
patients exhibit extracellular deficits in ionized free Mg.
PRESSE MED. (France), 1988, 17/12
(584-587)
Magnesium ion is of great importance
in physiology by its intervention in 300 enzymatic systems,
its role in membrane structure and its function in neuromuscular
excitability. The skeleton is the first pool of magnesium
in the body. Intestinal absorption, renal metabolism, bone accretion
and reabsorption of magnesium are
very similar to those of calcium. Magnesium metabolism is accurately
controlled, in particular by parathyroid hormone, 25 - dihydroxy
vitamin D3, calcitonin, catecholamine and estrogens. The main
regulation mechanisms of magnesium
metabolism are located in the kidney which is the principal
excretory organ.
Alcock, N. W., Shils, M. E.,
Lieberman, P. H., & Erlandson, R. A. Cancer Research,
33, 2196-2204. (1973).
The effects of a magnesium-deficient
diet fed to rats for approximately 65 days have been assessed
with special reference to changes in the thymus. The thymus
was enlarged in 18 to 52% of deficient animals surviving more
than 6 to 7 weeks in various experiments. The remainder demonstrated
glands that were smaller than controls. The enlarged thymuses
showed marked cellular changes with the normal structure being
replaced by cells that morphologically resembled transformed
lymphocytes. Of the small glands, 19% had focal or lobular cellular
changes similar to those seen in enlarged thymuses. No distant
metastases were found and the changes have been interpreted
as hyperplastic rather than neoplastic. Prolonged magnesium
depletion was accompanied by hypomagnesemia and hypercalcemia
or normocalcemia. Marked leukocytosis was present during the
early stages of the deficiency. Splenomegaly was consistently
found in the magnesium-depleted
animals.
Magnesium deficiency/ Rats/ Rodents/ Thymus
