The effects and predictive value of calcium and magnesium concentrations on nutritional improvement, inflammatory response and diagnosis in patients with Crohn's disease

Abstract

BackgroundCrohn's disease (CD) is a progressive inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract associated with malnutrition, high levels of inflammation and calcium and magnesium deficiencies. However, the relationships between these symptoms are poorly defined.MethodSeventy‐six adult CD patients who had not yet started treatment and 83 healthy volunteers were recruited. The dietary intakes, serum calcium and magnesium levels, nutritional indicators and biochemical markers of disease activity were measured.ResultsMost participants had inadequate magnesium and calcium intake. The serum magnesium and calcium levels, as well as nutritional and inflammatory indicators, differed significantly between CD patients and controls, especially in the active phase. Serum levels of magnesium and calcium correlated with both nutritional status and inflammation. The cut‐off values for CD development were 0.835 mmol/L (magnesium) and 2.315 mmol/L (calcium), whereas those for the active phase were 0.785 and 2.28 mmol/L, respectively.ConclusionAdequate intake of magnesium and calcium may both improve the nutritional status of CD patients and reduce inflammation, benefiting disease relief. As both magnesium and calcium reflect CD status, they may be useful markers for CD diagnosis and disease activity.

Does Magnesium Provide a Protective Effect in Crohn’s Disease Remission? A Systematic Review of the Literature

“…The study by Zheng et al [ 49 ] provides pivotal objective data on the role of calcium and magnesium concentrations in patients with active Crohn’s disease (CD) who had not yet commenced treatment, revealing that serum levels of magnesium and calcium are markedly lower in CD patients compared to healthy controls, with cut-off values set at 0.835 mmol/L for magnesium and 2.315 mmol/L for calcium for CD development. This contrasts with our systematic review, which broadly addresses serum magnesium levels in CD remission without specifically focusing on the treatment-naïve or active phase.…”

Nutritional Support: The Use of Antioxidants in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

“…A low supply of calcium with the diet or with inefficient absorption of calcium from the gastrointestinal tract results in its uptake from the skeleton [41]. As studies indicate, patients with CD consume insufficient amounts of calcium and their serum levels are inversely correlated with nutritional status and inflammation in the body, especially in the active phase of the disease, so it is believed to be one of the markers in the diagnosis of CD and the assessment of disease activity [56]. One strategy that may be helpful in the therapy of IBD may be the use of calcium pyruvate monohydrate (CPM), a stable pyruvate derivative.…”