Magnesium in health and disease

This paper reviews the significance of magnesium (Mg) in health and disease. Mg is an intracellular element and after potassium, second most abundant cation found within the cell. Plasma contains less than 1% of body's total Mg. Physiologically most active form of Mg is ionized form. Most of the plasma Mg is bound with albumin, globulin and proteins. This bound form of Mg is not available for biochemical actions. Binding of Mg with the specific globulin fractions may be indicative of certain disease patterns. Deficient serum Mg concentration may be a sign of various pathologies. Thus, the repletion of Mg may be helpful in the treatment of diseases such as hypertension, acute myocardial infarction and atherosclerosis. Role of Mg for the treatment of chronic disease, however, is poorly understood and requires a better knowledge of ionized Mg metabolism.