Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Dec 21;18(12):e0296238.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296238. eCollection 2023.

Dietary magnesium, C-reactive protein and interleukin-6: The Strong Heart Family Study

Nandana D Rao  1 , Rozenn N Lemaitre  2   3 , Colleen M Sitlani  2   3 , Jason G Umans  4   5 , Karin Haack  6 , Veronica Handeland  7 , Ana Navas-Acien  8 , Shelley A Cole  6 , Lyle G Best  9 , Amanda M Fretts  1   3   10
Affiliations

Dietary magnesium, C-reactive protein and interleukin-6: The Strong Heart Family Study

Nandana D Rao et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the associations of dietary Mg intake with inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL-6)), and the interaction of dietary Mg intake with single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs3740393, a SNP related to Mg metabolism and transport, on CRP and IL-6 among American Indians (AIs).

Methods: This cross-sectional study included AI participants (n = 1,924) from the Strong Heart Family Study (SHFS). Mg intake from foods and dietary supplements was ascertained using a 119-item Block food frequency questionnaire, CRP and IL-6 were measured from blood, and SNP rs3740393 was genotyped using MetaboChip. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine associations of Mg intake, and the interaction between rs3740393 and dietary Mg, with CRP and IL-6.

Results: Reported Mg intake was not associated with CRP or IL-6, irrespective of genotype. A significant interaction (p-interaction = 0.018) was observed between Mg intake and rs3740393 on IL-6. Among participants with the C/C genotype, for every 1 SD higher in log-Mg, log-IL-6 was 0.04 (95% CI: -0.10 to 0.17) pg/mL higher. Among participants with the C/G genotype, for every 1 SD higher in log-Mg, log-IL-6 was 0.08 (95% CI: -0.21 to 0.05) pg/mL lower, and among participants with the G/G genotype, for every 1 SD higher in log-Mg, log-IL-6 was 0.19 (95% CI: -0.38 to -0.01) pg/mL lower.

Conclusions: Mg intake may be associated with lower IL-6 with increasing dosage of the G allele at rs3740393. Future research is necessary to replicate this finding and examine other Mg-related genes that influence associations of Mg intake with inflammation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

References

    1. Nielsen FH. Dietary magnesium and chronic disease. Adv Chronic Kidney Dis. 2018;25(3):230–5. doi: 10.1053/j.ackd.2017.11.005 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gröber U, Schmidt J, Kisters K. Magnesium in prevention and therapy. Nutrients. 2015;7(9):8199–226. doi: 10.3390/nu7095388 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chacko SA, Song Y, Nathan L, Tinker L, de Boer IH, Tylavsky F, et al. Relations of dietary magnesium intake to biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in an ethnically diverse cohort of postmenopausal women. Diabetes Care. 2010;33(2):304–10. doi: 10.2337/dc09-1402 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Song Y, Ridker PM, Manson JE, Cook NR, Buring JE, Liu S. Magnesium intake, C-reactive protein, and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in middle-aged and older U.S. women. Diabetes Care. 2005;28(6):1438–44. doi: 10.2337/diacare.28.6.1438 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dibaba DT, Xun P, He K. Dietary magnesium intake is inversely associated with serum C-reactive protein levels: meta-analysis and systematic review. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2015;69(3):409. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2014.275 - DOI - PubMed