Role of Cellular Magnesium in Human Diseases.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review discussing physiology and mechanisms without original empirical data or systematic search methodology
What was done
This narrative review describes the physiological roles of magnesium in human health, the mechanisms of cellular magnesium homeostasis, the clinical consequences of magnesium deficiency across major organ systems, and the therapeutic role of magnesium supplementation in conditions such as alcoholism.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative experimental data or meta-analytic figures. It notes that magnesium serves as a cofactor for more than 300 enzymatic reactions (including ATP-binding kinase reactions) and that over 99% of total body magnesium is intracellular, rendering routine serum magnesium measurements an inadequate proxy for tissue stores and total-body status.
Why it matters
Because serum levels fail to reflect intracellular magnesium depletion, widespread subclinical deficiency may go unrecognized in clinical practice, highlighting the need for improved diagnostic methods to assess cellular magnesium status.
Limits
The paper is a non-systematic narrative review providing no primary clinical trial data, quantitative effect estimates, or formal systematic search strategy. The abstract provides no specific patient numbers or outcome statistics.
Cited by
- supports Magnesium is an essential cofactor for more than 300 enzymes, including DNA repair enzymes and DNA polymerases involved in DNA replication.