Oral Magnesium Supplementation Improves Metabolic Variables and Muscle Strength in Alcoholics

Abstract

Magnesium deficiency is common among chronic alcoholics, but the knowledge of oral magnesium supplementation to this group is limited. We, therefore, randomized 49 chronic alcoholics, moderate to heavy drinkers for at least 10 years to receive oral magnesium or placebo treatment for 6 weeks according to a double-blind protocol. Effects on metabolic variables and muscle strength were analyzed. Significant reduction of aspartate-aminotransferase (ASAT), alanine-aminotransferase (ALAT) and gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT) were seen after magnesium, whereas no change was observed with placebo. Bilirubin decreased in both groups. Serum Na, Ca, and P increased significantly during magnesium therapy compared with no statistically significant change in the placebo group. Serum K and Mg increased slightly after magnesium supplementation and decreased in the placebo group, resulting in a significant difference between the two groups at the end of the study. Muscle strength increased significantly during magnesium treatment, contrasting to no change with placebo. Blood pressure, heart rate, hematological variables, serum lipids (cholesterol, HDL, TG), glucose tolerance, and creatinine were unchanged in the two groups after treatment. Alcohol consumption was similar before and during the trial and does not explain the differences between the two groups The results shows that short-term oral magnesium therapy may improve liver cell function, electrolyte status, and muscle strength in chronic alcoholics.

Decreased muscle strength and contents of Mg and Na,K‐pumps in chronic alcoholics occur independently of liver cirrhosis

“…Muscle strength is independently correlated with muscle Mg [7] and the present study shows that in alcoholics with or without liver cirrhosis, muscle Mg is an independent predictor of muscle strength. This is in accordance with a study in which oral Mg supplementation to chronic alcoholics increased maximum handgrip strength by 8–11%, compared with values in placebo‐treated patients [30]. On the other hand, neither muscle K nor Na,K‐pump contents correlated with muscle strength.…”

Magnesium abnormalities of skeletal muscle in dermatomyositis and juvenile dermatomyositis

“…In diabetes, treatment simultaneously improves clinical status and raises magnesium levels (41,42). Magnesium supplementation has been successful in reversing or moderating the symptoms of dietary deficiency, alcoholic withdrawal, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, coronary heart disease, and eosinophiliamyalgia syndrome (20,21,(43)(44)(45)(46)(47). Magnesium supplementation has also been shown to improve physical performance in healthy athletes (48,49).…”

Effect of chronic magnesium supplementation on magnesium distribution in healthy volunteers evaluated by 31P‐NMRS and ion selective electrodes

“…Beneficial effects of Mg supplementation compared with placebo have also been published in a variety of other diseases such as asthma [ 39], chronic alcoholism [ 40] and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder of children [ 41]. Finally, in a large cohort of 400 hundred individuals having taken either a Mg‐rich diet or a regular diet for 10 years, mortality and morbidity were reduced by 50% in the high‐Mg group as compared with the controls [ 42].…”