From Epsom Salt to a Beneficial Mineral ; Magnesium

Introduction: one of the most popular medical drugs with healing ability is epsom saltthat is hydrated magnesium sulphate;mgso4.7h2o. magnesium is the fourth mostabundant mineral in the body and the second intracellular cation after potassium. in minuteamounts it is necessary for body’s proper metabolism and function. magnesium homeostasisin the body is maintained by a delicate interplay among intestinal absorption, skeletalresorption, renal reabsorption and urinary excretion. at cellular level magnesium is acofactor as well as an activator in almost all enzymatic systems that regulates diversebiochemical reactions. in addition, magnesium is essential for the conversion of vitamin dinto its active form which in turn activated vitamin d can increase intestinal absorption ofmagnesium and calcium influencing the growth and maintenance of bones. serummagnesium concentration estimation is a poor predictor of intracellular magnesium contentand may not accurately reflect the status of body’s total magnesium content. the presentarticle will review magnesium deficiency and its role in vitamin d activations.methods: an integrated review format was chosen for present article and many medicaland scientific literature on magnesium and its essential role in health and interaction/s withvitamin d were reviewed.findings: results indicated that chronic magnesium deficiency is common among thegeneral population as well as in the hospitalized patients. it may induce a wide range ofclinical complications. investigations have indicated that the activities of three majorvitamin d converting enzymes and vitamin d binding proteins are magnesium dependent.furthermore, magnesium deficiency leads to reduced 1,25(oh)2 vitamin d and impairedparathyroid response. in general, the effectiveness of vitamin d is significantly reducedwhen magnesium homeostasis in the body is not maintained.conclusion: it is concluded that chronic magnesium deficiency should always be consideredin different clinical complications. taking magnesium supplementations could be beneficialto prevent recurrence of the diseases. moreover, the general population should beencouraged to consume magnesium-containing foods to reduce disease burden. furtherinvestigations are necessary in regard to vitamin d and magnesium interaction/s. they mayinclude observations to determine the adequate magnesium dose as well as studies on themore effective type of magnesium supplementation for vitamin d processing.