Risk Factors for Magnesium Depletion

Many factors can drive up an individual’s demand for magnesium. Disease, medications, stress and dietary factors can deplete magnesium, including:

• Acetaminophen toxicity
• Alcohol
• Aluminium (environmental, including from antiperspirants, and dietary)
• Aldosteronism
• Ageing (hypochlorhydria, ie, decreased acid in the stomach).
• Antacids (including ranitidine and famotidine)
• Bariatric surgery (small intestinal bypass surgery)
• Calcium supplements (or a high calcium to magnesium diet).
• Caffeine
• Cancer
• Coeliac disease
• Colon removal
• Chronic stress (overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system)
• Cisplatin
• Crohn’s disease
• Ciclosporin
• Type 1 and type 2 diabetes (uncontrolled glucose levels)
• Diarrhea
• Diet high in fat or sugar
• Digoxin
• Diuretics —non-potassium-sparing diuretics (thiazide and loop diuretics)
• Excessive ingestion of poorly absorbable magnesium (such as magnesium oxide)
• Enzymatic dysfunction (impaired magnesium distribution)
• Estrogen therapy (shifts magnesium to soft and hard tissues lowering serum levels)
• Excessive or prolonged lactation
• Excessive menstruation
• Fasting (or low magnesium intake)
• Foscarnet
• Gentamicin and tobramycin
• Hyperparathyroidism and hypoparathyroidism
• Hyperthyroidism
• Kidney diseases (glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis, hydronephrosis, nephrosclerosis and renal tubular acidosis).
• Heart failure
• Haemodialysis
• High phosphorus in the diet (soda, inorganic phosphates contained in many inactive ingredients in processed foods)
• Hyperinsulinaemia (and insulin therapy)
• Insulin resistance (intracellular magnesium depletion)
• Laxatives
• Low salt intake
• Low selenium intake
• Gastrointestinal disorders—malabsorption syndromes (coeliac disease, non-tropical sprue, bowel resection, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, steatorrhoea), prolonged diarrhoea or vomiting.
• Liver disease (acute or chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis).
• Metabolic acidosis (latent or clinical)
• Pancreatitis (acute and chronic).
• Parathyroidectomy
• Pentamide
• Peritoneal dialysis
• Porphyria with inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone
• Pregnancy
• Proton pump inhibitors
• Strenuous exercise
• Tacrolimus
• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) deficiency
• Vitamin D excess or deficiency (chronic kidney disease and liver disease can prevent the activation of vitamin D)

Source

DiNicolantonio, j et al. Subclinical magnesium deficiency: a principal driver of cardiovascular disease and a public health crisis. Open Heart. Jan 13, 2018. Accessed at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5786912/