McCarty · Medical hypotheses 1996 · theoretical hypothesis paper · n=?

Complementary vascular-protective actions of magnesium and taurine: a rationale for magnesium taurate.

Cited 38 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Mechanism-based reasoning and hypothesis paper proposing clinical applications without new empirical data.

PubMed 8692051 · doi:10.1016/s0306-9877(96)90007-9 · record verified 2026-08-27

What was done

This theoretical paper synthesizes known physiological actions of magnesium and taurine from animal and clinical literature to propose a rationale for magnesium taurate as an oral supplement or parenteral therapeutic agent.

What was found

No original empirical or quantitative data were reported in the abstract. The author notes that magnesium reduces cytoplasmic free calcium, conferring antihypertensive, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-arrhythmic, and antithrombotic properties, while taurine exerts parallel effects, retards cholesterol-induced atherogenesis, prevents arrhythmias, stabilizes platelets, and both may improve insulin sensitivity.

Why it matters

It introduces a conceptual framework suggesting that the combined complex magnesium taurate could serve as a vascular-protective supplement or parenteral alternative to magnesium sulfate in acute myocardial infarction, pre-eclampsia, and diabetes.

Limits

The abstract describes a purely hypothesis-driven paper without experimental testing, empirical measurements, or clinical trial validation. Proposed clinical uses in conditions like pre-eclampsia or acute myocardial infarction are theoretical extrapolations.

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