Abstract
Like vitamin D deficit, magnesium deficit is considered to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Several steps in the vitamin D metabolism, such as vitamin D binding to its transport protein and the conversion of vitamin D into the hormonal form 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D by hepatic and renal hydroxylation, depend on magnesium as a cofactor. A new analysis of two National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys data sets, published in BMC Medicine, investigated potential interactions between magnesium intake, circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D, which is the generally accepted indicator of vitamin D status, and mortality. Data indicate a reduced risk of insufficient/deficient vitamin D status at high magnesium intake and an inverse association between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D and mortality, particularly cardiovascular mortality, among those with magnesium intake above the median. The study provides important findings concerning potential metabolic interactions between magnesium and vitamin D and its clinical relevance. However, results should be considered preliminary since biochemical data on individual magnesium status were lacking, confounding cannot be excluded and questions on the dose?response relationship still remain to be answered.Please see related research article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/11/187.
Highlights
Life depends on an energy-consuming complex interplay of organic and inorganic substances to maintain biological structures
It would have been interesting to see whether the combination of inadequate Mg intake with 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels below 12 ng/ml is associated with a further mortality increase
The present study must be praised for bringing potential interactions between individual nutrients into the focus of interest
Summary
Life depends on an energy-consuming complex interplay of organic and inorganic substances to maintain biological structures. A study by Deng et al [5], published in BMC Medicine, investigated potential interactions between Mg intake, vitamin D status and mortality. The IOM recommends a daily vitamin D intake of 600 international units and considers circulating 25OHD levels of 20 to 50 ng/ml as adequate, and 25OHD levels above 50 ng/ml as potentially harmful [6]. Total Mg intake, 25OHD status and physical activity level were clearly interrelated [5]. High Mg intake may only be an indicator for high physical activity, which is known to influence 25OHD status (and cardiovascular mortality). No data on circulating levels of the biologically active form of vitamin D, 1,25(OH)2D, were presented. It would have been interesting to see whether the combination of inadequate Mg intake with 25OHD levels below 12 ng/ml is associated with a further mortality increase
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