Effect of Magnesium Supplementation on Inflammatory Parameters: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
What this study found
Magnesium supplementation produced a modest but statistically significant reduction in serum C-reactive protein and increased nitric oxide compared with placebo. For CRP, the pooled analysis included 737 participants across 15 RCTs and showed SMD = −0.356 (95% CI: −0.659 to −0.054; p = 0.02). For nitric oxide, the effect was SMD = 0.321 (95% CI: 0.037 to 0.604; p = 0.026) based on 3 studies with 194 participants, with I2 = 0%. Effects on IL-6, total antioxidant capacity, glutathione, and TNF-α were not significant, and malondialdehyde was only borderline significant (SMD = −0.604; 95% CI:…
- Study & population
- This was a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in adults.
- Intervention
- Oral magnesium, primarily magnesium oxide 250 mg/day, was compared with placebo.
- Key limitation
- Heterogeneity was substantial across outcomes, and several biomarkers were supported by few studies, limiting certainty.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
Magnesium (Mg) may have several beneficial effects on human health outcomes. One hypothesized mechanism eliciting such effects is the action of Mg on serum inflammatory parameters. However, studies on this topic to date have several important limitations. Therefore, the present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the current state of the art of all randomized control trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of Mg supplementation versus placebo on serum parameters of inflammation. We searched several databases until 23 November 2021 for RCTs. Eligible studies were RCTs investigating the effect of oral Mg supplementation vs. placebo and having serum inflammatory markers as an outcome. Among 2484 papers initially screened, 17 randomized controlled trials (889 participants; mean age: 46 years; females: 62.5%) were included. Generally, a low risk of bias was present. In meta-analysis, Mg supplementation significantly decreased serum C reactive protein (CRP) and increased nitric oxide (NO) levels. In descriptive findings, Mg supplementation significantly reduced plasma fibrinogen, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase type 5, tumor necrosis factor-ligand superfamily member 13B, ST2 protein, and IL-1. In conclusion, Mg supplementation may significantly reduce different human inflammatory markers, in particular serum CRP and NO levels.