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Magnesium absorption using stable isotope tracers in healthy children and children treated for leukemia
I P Wauben1, S A Atkinson, C Bradley
1Children's Hospital, Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
Magnesium absorption in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia is similar to healthy children. This study demonstrates the single-isotope fecal recovery technique is feasible for assessing magnesium absorption in young children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Nutritional Science
- Hematology-Oncology
Background:
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treatment can impact nutrient absorption in children.
- Magnesium (Mg) is essential for numerous physiological processes, and its absorption dynamics in pediatric ALL patients are not well-characterized.
- Accurate assessment of Mg absorption is crucial for nutritional management during cancer therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine intestinal magnesium absorption in young children undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
- To compare Mg absorption between pediatric ALL patients and healthy controls.
- To evaluate the feasibility of the single-isotope fecal recovery technique (SIFRT) for assessing Mg absorption in children aged 3-8 years.
Main Methods:
- Employed the single-isotope fecal recovery technique (SIFRT) using stable isotope tracers.
- Measured fractional and absolute Mg absorption in two groups: children with ALL and healthy children (controls).
- Analyzed Mg absorption data, including mean +/- SEM values for fractional and absolute absorption.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were observed in fractional Mg absorption between children with ALL (58.3 +/- 10.6%) and controls (61.4 +/- 7.5%).
- Absolute Mg absorption also showed no significant difference, with ALL patients absorbing 3.66 +/- 0.71 mg/kg/day and controls 5.69 +/- 0.85 mg/kg/day.
- The average Mg absorption across all young children (aged 3-8 years) was 60.2 +/- 5.8%.
Conclusions:
- Intestinal magnesium absorption is comparable between young children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and healthy children.
- The single-isotope fecal recovery technique (SIFRT) is a feasible and effective method for assessing Mg absorption in young children.
- This study provides valuable data on Mg absorption in a pediatric ALL population and validates a key methodological approach.
Abstract:
Intestinal magnesium (Mg) absorption was measured in six healthy children (control) and in four children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia with the single-isotope fecal recovery technique (SIFRT). The objective of this study was to determine Mg absorption in young children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia using stable isotope tracers. Fractional and absolute absorption levels determined by SIFRT were not significantly different between children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (fractional absorption: 58.3 +/- 10.6% [mean +/- SEM], absolute absorption: 3.66 +/- 0.71 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1), [0.15 +/- 0.03 mmol x kg(-1) x d(-1)]) and control children (fractional absorption: 61.4 +/- 7.5%, absolute absorption: 5.69 +/- 0.85 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1), [0.23 +/- 0.03 mmol x kg(-1) x d(-1)]). Average Mg absorption in young children (aged 3--8 y) was 60.2 +/- 5.8%. This study describes the first application of the SIFRT to assess Mg absorption in young children and illustrates the feasibility of the SIFRT in this age group to obtain more accurate information on Mg absorption.