The Role of Magnesium in the Pathogenesis of Metabolic Disorders

Abstract

Magnesium (Mg) is an essential nutrient for maintaining vital physiological functions. It is involved in many fundamental processes, and Mg deficiency is often correlated with negative health outcomes. On the one hand, most western civilizations consume less than the recommended daily allowance of Mg. On the other hand, a growing body of evidence has indicated that chronic hypomagnesemia may be implicated in the pathogenesis of various metabolic disorders such as overweight and obesity, insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension (HTN), changes in lipid metabolism, and low-grade inflammation. High Mg intake with diet and/or supplementation seems to prevent chronic metabolic complications. The protective action of Mg may include limiting the adipose tissue accumulation, improving glucose and insulin metabolism, enhancing endothelium-dependent vasodilation, normalizing lipid profile, and attenuating inflammatory processes. Thus, it currently seems that Mg plays an important role in developing metabolic disorders associated with obesity, although more randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating Mg supplementation strategies are needed. This work represents a review and synthesis of recent data on the role of Mg in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders.

Keywords: body weight; deficiency; diabetes; dyslipidemia; hypertension; inflammation; magnesium; metabolic syndrome; obesity.

Figure 1

Magnesium turnover in the human body. Abbreviations: Mg, magnesium. This figure was made using the Servier Medical Art collection (http://smart.servier.com/) (accessed on 25 March 2022).

Figure 2

Influence of Mg deficiency on metabolic disorders. Abbreviations: Ca, calcium; CRP, C-reactive protein; DS, desaturase; HMG-CoA, β-hydroxy β-methylglutaryl-CoA; HTN, hypertension; IR, insulin resistance; LCAT, lecithin-cholesterol acyl transferase; LPL, lipoprotein lipase; Mg, magnesium; NF-kb, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells; NMDA, N-methyl-D-aspartate; NO, nitric oxide; RAAS, renin-angiotensin system. This figure was made using the Servier Medical Art collection (http://smart.servier.com/) (accessed on 25 March 2022).