Dietary magnesium supplementation ameliorates anemia in a mouse model of beta-thalassemia

To ascertain the quantitative effect on the disease beta-thalassemia of a low-magnesium (Mg) diet compared with a high-Mg diet and a standard-Mg diet, we studied the effect these diets had over a 4-week period on beta-thalassemic (beta thal) mice compared with normal C57BL/6 mice used as controls. The low-Mg diet consisted of 6 +/- 2 mg Mg/kg body weight/d, the high-Mg diet 1,000 +/- 20 mg Mg/kg body weight/d, and the standard-Mg diet 400 +/- 20 mg Mg/kg body weight/d. Beta thal mice that were fed the low-Mg diet became more anemic, had reduced serum and erythrocyte Mg, and had decreased erythrocyte K. Their K-Cl cotransport increased, followed by commensurate cell dehydration. The high-Mg group showed a significant improvement of the anemia, increased serum and erythrocyte Mg, increased erythrocyte Mg, increased erythrocyte K, reduced K-Cl cotransport, and diminished cell dehydration. C57BL/6 control mice that received the low-Mg diet experienced anemia with erythrocyte dehydration, whereas the high-Mg diet had little effect on the hematologic parameters. Beta thal and C57BL/6 control mice that were fed a standard diet showed no changes. These results indicate that dietary Mg supplementation corrects hypomagnesemia and improves anemia in murine beta thal and should be assessed in human beta-thalassemia.