Hypomagnesemia and the Metabolic Syndrome among Apparently Healthy Kuwaiti Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Magnesium plays a key role in metabolic disorder development, and hypomagnesemia may be implicated in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the associations between hypomagnesemia, MetS, and MetS components among 231 adults (193 women and 38 men) living in Kuwait who were apparently healthy without chronic diseases. We used the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the United States National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria to define participants with MetS. The Ministry of Health cutoff for hypomagnesemia (<0.74 mmol/L) was employed. IDF- and ATP III-defined MetS prevalence was 22.1% and 15.2%, respectively. Hypomagnesemia occurred in 33.3% of all participants and 53.2% of participants with MetS (p < 0.001). Magnesemia correlated negatively with body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure [SBP], diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, and triglyceride level; magnesemia correlated positively with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels (p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression, adjusting for BMI, age, and sex, showed that hypomagnesemia was associated with a 12- and 5-fold greater odds of getting IDF-defined (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 11.70; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.87−28.14) and ATP-defined (aOR 5.44; 95% CI 2.10−14.10) MetS, respectively, in the study population. Hypomagnesemia was significantly associated with a 3.62, 9.29, 7.01, 2.88, 3.64, and 3.27 higher odds of an increased waist circumference (95% CI 1.48−8.85), elevated serum triglyceride level (95% CI 3.97−21.73), elevated FBG (95% CI 3.25−15.11), elevated SBP (95% CI 1.16−7.11), elevated DBP (95% CI: 1.22−10.89), and lowered HDL-C level (95% CI 1.69−6.32), respectively. Hypomagnesemia could be a consequence of the pathophysiology of MetS and its individual components among adults in Kuwait.