Magnesium intake and plasma concentrations of markers of systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in women

Relations between magnesium intake and systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction are not well established.

The aim of the present study was to examine whether and to what extent magnesium intake is related to inflammatory and endothelial markers.

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 657 women from the Nurses' Health Study cohort who were aged 43-69 y and free of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes mellitus when blood was drawn in 1989 and 1990. Plasma concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), soluble tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor 2 (sTNF-R2), E-selectin, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1), and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1) were measured. Estimates from 2 semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaires, administered in 1986 and 1990, were averaged to assess dietary intakes.

In age-adjusted linear regression analyses, magnesium intake was inversely associated with plasma concentrations of CRP (P for linear trend = 0.003), E-selectin (P = 0.001), and sICAM-1 (P = 0.03). After further adjustment for physical activity, smoking status, alcohol use, postmenopausal hormone use, and body mass index, dietary magnesium intake remained inversely associated with CRP and E-selectin. Multivariate-adjusted geometric means for women in the highest quintile of dietary magnesium intake were 24% lower for CRP (1.70 +/- 0.18 compared with 1.30 +/- 0.10 mg/dL; P for trend = 0.03) and 14% lower for E-selectin (48.5 +/- 1.84 compared with 41.9 +/- 1.58 ng/mL; P for trend = 0.01) than those for women in the lowest quintile.

Magnesium intake from diet is modestly and inversely associated with some but not all markers of systematic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in apparently healthy women.