A major new research study is challenging five decades of clinical practice by revealing that standard serum magnesium tests measure less than 1% of the body’s total magnesium stores. The NAKO-MRI study, involving 9,568 participants, found essentially no correlation between blood magnesium levels and comprehensive clinical indicators that accurately predicted metabolic and cardiac complications.
The research suggests that nearly half of adults may have subclinical magnesium deficiency that goes undetected by conventional blood testing. This occurs because serum magnesium levels are tightly regulated through mobilization from bone and intracellular stores, meaning blood tests can appear normal even when the body’s magnesium reserves are significantly depleted.
Instead, researchers developed a clinical depletion score based on factors like kidney function, medication use, and alcohol intake, which proved far more effective at predicting health complications than traditional serum measurements.
Read the full article on GMJ Newsroom.
