-
Nutrients Mar 2021Magnesium plays an important role in many physiological functions. Habitually low intakes of magnesium and in general the deficiency of this micronutrient induce changes... (Review)
Review
Magnesium plays an important role in many physiological functions. Habitually low intakes of magnesium and in general the deficiency of this micronutrient induce changes in biochemical pathways that can increase the risk of illness and, in particular, chronic degenerative diseases. The assessment of magnesium status is consequently of great importance, however, its evaluation is difficult. The measurement of serum magnesium concentration is the most commonly used and readily available method for assessing magnesium status, even if serum levels have no reliable correlation with total body magnesium levels or concentrations in specific tissues. Therefore, this review offers an overview of recent insights into magnesium from multiple perspectives. Starting from a biochemical point of view, it aims at highlighting the risk due to insufficient uptake (frequently due to the low content of magnesium in the modern western diet), at suggesting strategies to reach the recommended dietary reference values, and at focusing on the importance of detecting physiological or pathological levels of magnesium in various body districts, in order to counteract the social impact of diseases linked to magnesium deficiency.
Topics: Food Analysis; Humans; Magnesium; Magnesium Deficiency; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Recommended Dietary Allowances
PubMed: 33808247
DOI: 10.3390/nu13041136 -
Nutrients Nov 2020Magnesium deficiency and stress are both common conditions among the general population, which, over time, can increase the risk of health consequences. Numerous... (Review)
Review
Magnesium deficiency and stress are both common conditions among the general population, which, over time, can increase the risk of health consequences. Numerous studies, both in pre-clinical and clinical settings, have investigated the interaction of magnesium with key mediators of the physiological stress response, and demonstrated that magnesium plays an inhibitory key role in the regulation and neurotransmission of the normal stress response. Furthermore, low magnesium status has been reported in several studies assessing nutritional aspects in subjects suffering from psychological stress or associated symptoms. This overlap in the results suggests that stress could increase magnesium loss, causing a deficiency; and in turn, magnesium deficiency could enhance the body's susceptibility to stress, resulting in a magnesium and stress vicious circle. This review revisits the magnesium and stress vicious circle concept, first introduced in the early 1990s, in light of recent available data.
Topics: Diet; Homeostasis; Humans; Magnesium; Magnesium Deficiency; Stress, Physiological
PubMed: 33260549
DOI: 10.3390/nu12123672 -
Nutrients Jan 2021Several changes of magnesium (Mg) metabolism have been reported with aging, including diminished Mg intake, impaired intestinal Mg absorption and renal Mg wasting. Mild... (Review)
Review
Several changes of magnesium (Mg) metabolism have been reported with aging, including diminished Mg intake, impaired intestinal Mg absorption and renal Mg wasting. Mild Mg deficits are generally asymptomatic and clinical signs are usually non-specific or absent. Asthenia, sleep disorders, hyperemotionality, and cognitive disorders are common in the elderly with mild Mg deficit, and may be often confused with age-related symptoms. Chronic Mg deficits increase the production of free radicals which have been implicated in the development of several chronic age-related disorders. Numerous human diseases have been associated with Mg deficits, including cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and stroke, cardio-metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus, airways constrictive syndromes and asthma, depression, stress-related conditions and psychiatric disorders, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementia syndromes, muscular diseases (muscle pain, chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia), bone fragility, and cancer. Dietary Mg and/or Mg consumed in drinking water (generally more bioavailable than Mg contained in food) or in alternative Mg supplements should be taken into consideration in the correction of Mg deficits. Maintaining an optimal Mg balance all through life may help in the prevention of oxidative stress and chronic conditions associated with aging. This needs to be demonstrated by future studies.
Topics: Aged; Aging; Animals; Humans; Magnesium; Magnesium Deficiency
PubMed: 33573164
DOI: 10.3390/nu13020463 -
Chemico-biological Interactions Nov 2022In total, twenty elements appear to be essential for the correct functioning of the human body, half of which are metals and half are non-metals. Among those metals that... (Review)
Review
In total, twenty elements appear to be essential for the correct functioning of the human body, half of which are metals and half are non-metals. Among those metals that are currently considered to be essential for normal biological functioning are four main group elements, sodium (Na), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and calcium (Ca), and six d-block transition metal elements, manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and molybdenum (Mo). Cells have developed various metallo-regulatory mechanisms for maintaining a necessary homeostasis of metal-ions for diverse cellular processes, most importantly in the central nervous system. Since redox active transition metals (for example Fe and Cu) may participate in electron transfer reactions, their homeostasis must be carefully controlled. The catalytic behaviour of redox metals which have escaped control, e.g. via the Fenton reaction, results in the formation of reactive hydroxyl radicals, which may cause damage to DNA, proteins and membranes. Transition metals are integral parts of the active centers of numerous enzymes (e.g. Cu,Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD, Catalase) which catalyze chemical reactions at physiologically compatible rates. Either a deficiency, or an excess of essential metals may result in various disease states arising in an organism. Some typical ailments that are characterized by a disturbed homeostasis of redox active metals include neurological disorders (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disorders), mental health problems, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes. To comprehend more deeply the mechanisms by which essential metals, acting either alone or in combination, and/or through their interaction with non-essential metals (e.g. chromium) function in biological systems will require the application of a broader, more interdisciplinary approach than has mainly been used so far. It is clear that a stronger cooperation between bioinorganic chemists and biophysicists - who have already achieved great success in understanding the structure and role of metalloenzymes in living systems - with biologists, will access new avenues of research in the systems biology of metal ions. With this in mind, the present paper reviews selected chemical and biological aspects of metal ions and their possible interactions in living systems under normal and pathological conditions.
Topics: Calcium; Catalase; Chromium; Cobalt; Copper; Humans; Ions; Iron; Magnesium; Manganese; Metalloproteins; Molybdenum; Potassium; Sodium; Superoxide Dismutase; Zinc
PubMed: 36152810
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2022.110173 -
Nutrients May 2023Magnesium (Mg) has many physiological functions within the body. These include important roles in maintaining cardiovascular functioning, where it contributes to the... (Review)
Review
Magnesium (Mg) has many physiological functions within the body. These include important roles in maintaining cardiovascular functioning, where it contributes to the regulation of cardiac excitation-contraction coupling, endothelial functioning and haemostasis. The haemostatic roles of Mg impact upon both the protein and cellular arms of coagulation. In this review, we examine how Mg homeostasis is maintained within the body and highlight the various molecular roles attributed to Mg in the cardiovascular system. In addition, we describe how nutritional and/or disease-associated magnesium deficiency, seen in some metabolic conditions, has the potential to influence cardiac and vascular outcomes. Finally, we also examine the potential for magnesium supplements to be employed in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disorders and in the management of cardiometabolic health.
Topics: Humans; Magnesium Deficiency; Magnesium; Dietary Supplements; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena
PubMed: 37242238
DOI: 10.3390/nu15102355 -
Nutrients Jan 2020Vitamins and minerals are essential to humans as they play essential roles in a variety of basic metabolic pathways that support fundamental cellular functions. In... (Review)
Review
Vitamins and minerals are essential to humans as they play essential roles in a variety of basic metabolic pathways that support fundamental cellular functions. In particular, their involvement in energy-yielding metabolism, DNA synthesis, oxygen transport, and neuronal functions makes them critical for brain and muscular function. These, in turn, translate into effects on cognitive and psychological processes, including mental and physical fatigue. This review is focused on B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B8, B9 and B12), vitamin C, iron, magnesium and zinc, which have recognized roles in these outcomes. It summarizes the biochemical bases and actions of these micronutrients at both the molecular and cellular levels and connects them with cognitive and psychological symptoms, as well as manifestations of fatigue that may occur when status or supplies of these micronutrients are not adequate.
Topics: Affect; Animals; Ascorbic Acid; Ascorbic Acid Deficiency; Cognition; Cognition Disorders; Energy Metabolism; Fatigue; Humans; Iron; Magnesium; Minerals; Nutritional Status; Vitamin B Complex; Vitamin B Deficiency; Vitamins; Zinc
PubMed: 31963141
DOI: 10.3390/nu12010228 -
Nutrients Jan 2021Magnesium (Mg) deficiency is probably the most underestimated electrolyte imbalance in Western countries. It is frequent in obese patients, subjects with type-2 diabetes... (Review)
Review
Magnesium (Mg) deficiency is probably the most underestimated electrolyte imbalance in Western countries. It is frequent in obese patients, subjects with type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, both in adulthood and in childhood. This narrative review aims to offer insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms linking Mg deficiency with obesity and the risk of developing metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Literature highlights critical issues about the treatment of Mg deficiency, such as the lack of a clear definition of Mg nutritional status, the use of different Mg salts and dosage and the different duration of the Mg supplementation. Despite the lack of agreement, an appropriate dietary pattern, including the right intake of Mg, improves metabolic syndrome by reducing blood pressure, hyperglycemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. This occurs through the modulation of gene expression and proteomic profile as well as through a positive influence on the composition of the intestinal microbiota and the metabolism of vitamins B1 and D.
Topics: Adult; Child; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Dietary Supplements; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Magnesium; Magnesium Deficiency; Metabolic Syndrome; Obesity; Proteomics; Thiamine; Vitamin D
PubMed: 33499378
DOI: 10.3390/nu13020320 -
International Journal of Molecular... Dec 2022Magnesium (Mg) is involved in the regulation of metabolism and in the maintenance of the homeostasis of all the tissues, including the brain, where it harmonizes nerve... (Review)
Review
Magnesium (Mg) is involved in the regulation of metabolism and in the maintenance of the homeostasis of all the tissues, including the brain, where it harmonizes nerve signal transmission and preserves the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. Mg deficiency contributes to systemic low-grade inflammation, the common denominator of most diseases. In particular, neuroinflammation is the hallmark of neurodegenerative disorders. Starting from a rapid overview on the role of magnesium in the brain, this narrative review provides evidences linking the derangement of magnesium balance with multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's diseases.
Topics: Humans; Magnesium; Neuroinflammatory Diseases; Brain; Blood-Brain Barrier; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Inflammation
PubMed: 36613667
DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010223 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2022Trace elements, such as iodine and selenium (Se), are vital to human health and play an essential role in metabolism. They are also important to thyroid metabolism and... (Review)
Review
Trace elements, such as iodine and selenium (Se), are vital to human health and play an essential role in metabolism. They are also important to thyroid metabolism and function, and correlate with thyroid autoimmunity and tumors. Other minerals such as iron (Ir), lithium (Li), copper (Co), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), magnesium (Mg), cadmium (Cd), and molybdenum (Mo), may related to thyroid function and disease. Normal thyroid function depends on a variety of trace elements for thyroid hormone synthesis and metabolism. These trace elements interact with each other and are in a dynamic balance. However, this balance may be disturbed by the excess or deficiency of one or more elements, leading to abnormal thyroid function and the promotion of autoimmune thyroid diseases and thyroid tumors.The relationship between trace elements and thyroid disorders is still unclear, and further research is needed to clarify this issue and improve our understanding of how trace elements mediate thyroid function and metabolism. This paper systematically reviewed recently published literature on the relationship between various trace elements and thyroid function to provide a preliminary theoretical basis for future research.
Topics: Humans; Trace Elements; Thyroid Gland; Selenium; Zinc; Manganese
PubMed: 36353227
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.904889 -
Nutrients Dec 2020Hypertension is a complex condition in which various actors and mechanisms combine, resulting in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications that today represent... (Review)
Review
Hypertension is a complex condition in which various actors and mechanisms combine, resulting in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications that today represent the most frequent causes of mortality, morbidity, disability, and health expenses worldwide. In recent decades, there has been an exceptional number of experimental, epidemiological, and clinical studies confirming a close relationship between magnesium deficit and high blood pressure. Multiple mechanisms may help to explain the bulk of evidence supporting a protective effect of magnesium against hypertension and its complications. Hypertension increases sharply with advancing age, hence older persons are those most affected by its negative consequences. They are also more frequently at risk of magnesium deficiency by multiple mechanisms, which may, at least in part, explain the higher frequency of hypertension and its long-term complications. The evidence for a favorable effect of magnesium on hypertension risk emphasizes the importance of broadly encouraging the intake of foods such as vegetables, nuts, whole cereals and legumes, optimal dietary sources of magnesium, and avoiding processed foods, which are very poor in magnesium and other fundamental nutrients, in order to prevent hypertension. In some cases, when diet is not enough to maintain an adequate magnesium status, magnesium supplementation may be of benefit and has been shown to be well tolerated.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Blood Pressure; Dietary Supplements; Feeding Behavior; Humans; Hypertension; Magnesium; Magnesium Deficiency; Micronutrients
PubMed: 33396570
DOI: 10.3390/nu13010139