Magnesium supplementation and iron status among female students: the intervention study

Abstract

Background: Literature data indicate the benefit of magne- sium (Mg) supplementation. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of short-term Mg supplementation on iron status in healthy female participants. Methods: One hundred healthy female students of the University of Belgrade - Faculty of Pharmacy participated the study during eleven intervention days. Students ingested Mg preparations with the same dose of the active substance. The analysis included the measurement of serum iron, unsaturat- ed iron binding capacity (UIBC), total iron binding capacity (TIBC), total Mg (tMg), ionized Mg (iMg), complete blood count, met-, carboxy- and oxy-haemoglobin (metHgb, COHgb, O2Hgb). Transferrin concentrations and percentage of transferrin saturation (SAT) were calculated manually. The association among the analyzed biochemical parameters was examined using polynomial regression. A principal compo- nent analysis (PCA) was used for the evaluation of interde- pendence between the analyzed parameters. Results: A statistically significant trend for change in O2Hgb (%) by tertiles of iMg concentrations was found (P = 0.029). Serum tMg reached significant positive correlation with the SAT at concentration levels greater than 0.9 mmol/L, after 11 days of intervention (R2=0.116). Ionized Mg in a con- centration higher than 0.6 mmol/L is positively correlated with SAT and serum Fe (R2=0.214; 0.199, respectively). PCA revealed variability of 64.7% for two axes after 11 days. Conclusions: Mg supplementation leads to an improvement in the certain iron status parameters even in individuals with optimal levels of these indices. However, caution should be exercised when supplementing Mg, and laboratory monitor- ing of the interaction is required.

Uvod: Literaturni podaci ukazuju na benefit suplementacije magnezijumom (Mg). Cilj ove studije bio je da se ispita uticaj kratkotrajne suplementacije Mg na status gvožđa kod zdravih žena. Metode: Sto zdravih studentkinja Univerzitet u Beogradu - Farmaceutskog fakulteta je učestvovalo u istraživanju tokom jedanaest dana intervencije. Studenti su uzimali preparate Mg sa istom dozom aktivne supstance. U serumu je određivano gvožđe, nezasićen kapacitet vezivanja gvožđa (UIBC), ukupan kapacitet vezivanja gvožđa (TIBC), ukupan Mg (tMg), jonizovni Mg (iMg), kompletna krvna slika, met-, karboksiioksihemoglobin (metHgb, COHgb, O2Hgb). Transferin i saturacija transferina (SAT) su izračunati ručno. Povezanost analiziranih biohemijskih parametara je ispitana pomoću polinomalne regresije. Za procenu međuzavisnosti između analiziranih parametara korišćena je analiza glavnih komponenti (PCA). Rezultati: Utvrđen je statistički značajan trend promene O2Hgb (%) po tertilima koncentracija iMg (P = 0,029). Ukupan Mg je dostigao značajnu pozitivnu korelaciju sa SAT pri koncentracijama većim od 0,9 mmol/L, nakon 11 dana intervencije (R2 = 0,116). Jonizovani Mg u koncentraciji većoj od 0,6 mmol/L pozitivno korelira sa SAT i gvožđem (R2 = 0,214; 0,199, redom). PCA analizom je pokazana varijabilnost od 64,7% za dve ose nakon 11 dana. Zaključak: Suplementacija Mg dovodi do poboljšanja određenih parametara statusa gvožđa čak i kod pojedinaca sa optimalnim nivoima ovih parametara. Međutim treba biti oprezan pri suplementaciji Mg, a dodatno je neophodno i laboratorijsko praćenje ovih interakcija.