Challenges in the Diagnosis of Magnesium Status

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 10; no. 9; p. 1202
• Main Authors: Workinger, Jayme L, Doyle, Robert P, Bortz, Jonathan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.09.2018; MDPI
• Subjects: Absorption; Adults; Agricultural practices; Biomarkers - blood; Cardiovascular disease; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Dietary intake; Dietary minerals; Farm buildings; Farming; Food; Fruits; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Gastrointestinal Absorption; Healthy Diet; Humans; Hypertension; Iron; Literature reviews; Magnesium; Magnesium - blood; magnesium absorption; magnesium assays; magnesium deficiency; Magnesium Deficiency - blood; Magnesium Deficiency - diagnosis; Magnesium Deficiency - epidemiology; Magnesium Deficiency - physiopathology; magnesium sampling; magnesium status; Metabolism; Neurological diseases; Nutrition; Nutrition Assessment; Nutritional Status; Predictive Value of Tests; Recommended Dietary Allowances; Reproducibility of Results; Review; Risk Factors; Strategic materials; Tissue Distribution; Vegetables; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; magnesium; magnesium assays; magnesium sampling; magnesium deficiency; magnesium absorption; magnesium status
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu10091202

Magnesium is a critical mineral in the human body and is involved in ~80% of known metabolic functions. It is currently estimated that 60% of adults do not achieve the average dietary intake (ADI) and 45% of Americans are magnesium deficient, a condition associated with disease states like hypertension, diabetes, and neurological disorders, to name a few. Magnesium deficiency can be attributed to common dietary practices, medications, and farming techniques, along with estimates that the mineral content of vegetables has declined by as much as 80⁻90% in the last 100 years. However, despite this mineral's importance, it is poorly understood from several standpoints, not the least of which is its unique mechanism of absorption and sensitive compartmental handling in the body, making the determination of magnesium status difficult. The reliance on several popular sample assays has contributed to a great deal of confusion in the literature. This review will discuss causes of magnesium deficiency, absorption, handling, and compartmentalization in the body, highlighting the challenges this creates in determining magnesium status in both clinical and research settings.