Magnesium Depletion Score and Metabolic Syndrome in US Adults: Analysis of NHANES 2003-2018

Xiaohao Wang; Zhaohao Zeng; Xinyu Wang; Pengfei Zhao; Lijiao Xiong; Tingfeng Liao; Runzhu Yuan; Shu Yang; Lin Kang; Zhen Liang

doi:10.1210/clinem/dgae075

Magnesium Depletion Score and Metabolic Syndrome in US Adults: Analysis of NHANES 2003-2018

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Feb 14:dgae075. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgae075. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xiaohao Wang^{1

2

3}, Zhaohao Zeng⁴, Xinyu Wang⁵, Pengfei Zhao^{1

2

3}, Lijiao Xiong^{1

2

3}, Tingfeng Liao^{1

2

3}, Runzhu Yuan^{1

2

3}, Shu Yang^{1

2

3}, Lin Kang^{1

2

3}, Zhen Liang^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology（ Shenzhen People's Hospital）, Shenzhen, China.
² Department of Geriatrics, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology; The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University).
³ Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
⁴ Department of Neurology, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, China.
⁵ Department of Nephrology, the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, the Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, China.

PMID: 38366015
DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgae075

Abstract

Background: The association between magnesium status and metabolic syndrome remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the relationship between the kidney reabsorption-related magnesium depletion score (MDS) and metabolic syndrome among US adults.

Methods: We analyzed data from 15,565 adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2018. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III report. The MDS is a scoring system developed to predict the status of magnesium deficiency that fully considers the pathophysiological factors influencing the kidneys' reabsorption capability. Weighted univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to assess the association between MDS and metabolic syndrome. Restricted cubic spline analysis was conducted to characterize dose-response relationships. Stratified analyses by sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were also performed.

Results: In both univariate and multivariate analyses, higher MDS was significantly associated with increased odds of metabolic syndrome. Each unit increase in MDS was associated with approximately a 30% higher risk for metabolic syndrome, even after adjusting for confounding factors (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.17-1.45). Restricted cubic spline graphs depicted a linear dose-response relationship across the MDS range. This positive correlation remained consistent across various population subgroups and exhibited no significant interaction by age, gender, race, adiposity, smoking status, or alcohol consumption.

Conclusions: Higher urinary magnesium loss as quantified by MDS may be an independent linear risk factor for metabolic syndrome in US adults, irrespective of sociodemographic and behavioral factors. Optimizing magnesium nutritional status could potentially confer benefits to patients with metabolic syndrome.

Keywords: Magnesium; Magnesium Depletion Score (MDS); Metabolic syndrome (MetS); NHANES; nutritional epidemiology.