Magnesium

This is a representative of the group of macronutrients, an easily alkaline earth element. About 100 minerals containing magnesium are known. It is the most common element in nature. In the upper 16 kilometers thick layer of the earth, it accounts for about 3.45%. Magnesium salts determine the hardness of drinking water. It is present in table salt. Magnesium salts are used to neutralize stomach acid and relieve constipation, for disinfection in cases of dyspepsia, heartburn, and diarrhea. Magnesium sulfate solution is used parenterally as a vasodilator in cases of eclampsia, epilepsy, tetany, and as an antispasmodic in cases of anuria, bronchial asthma, hypertonic disease, etc. Magnesium enters the body through food and water. About 200–400 mg is obtained per day. In the digestive tract, up to 40–45% is absorbed, about 50% is bound in the blood, and the remaining part is ionized. Its concentration in blood serum is 0.8–1.2 mmol/l. An adult body contains about 140 g of magnesium (0.2% of body mass), two-thirds of which is in the bones. It is excreted from the body in urine (50–120 mg) and sweat (5–15 mg). It is the most important cellular element, a universal regulator of biochemical and physiological processes in the body, participating in energy, protein, and electrolyte metabolism. Magnesium, by forming complexes with ATP, activates more than 300 enzymes as a cofactor. It inhibits the separation of oxidation from phosphorylation, participates in the metabolism of proteins, fatty acids, lipids, synthesis, and nucleic acids. Magnesium is a tension suppressor, muscle irritability reducer, immune system strengthener, antiarrhythmic, hypotensive bioelement, and a physiological calcium antagonist. It is non-toxic to humans, and the lethal dose is unknown.

Source | Glossary of Most Commonly Used Biomedical Terms and Concepts | Lithuanian University of Health Sciences | Academician Professor Antanas Praškevičius, Professor Laima Ivanovienė