title: There is chronic latent magnesium deficiency in apparently healthy university students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Magnesium is an essential micronutrient for human body, and its deficiency has been associated with risk of non-communicable diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Assessment of magnesium status, and evaluation of the frequency of magnesium deficiency in a group of healthy adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma and erythrocyte magnesium levels, and magnesium intake were determined in 115 students (55 women and 60 men), from a public university in Brazil.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The medians of magnesium concentration in plasma (0.76 mmol/L), erythrocyte (1.97 mmol/L), and of dietary daily intake (8.84 mmol/d) were low. Forty two percent of participants had plasma or erythrocyte magnesium below the limit of 0.75 and 1.65 mmol/L, respectively. A high percentage showed high probability of inadequate magnesium intake.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a high frequency of subclinical magnesium deficiency in the adults assessed, that could be related to low dietary magnesium intake.
authors.affiliation: Post Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. Natal. RN. Brazil.. chscris@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Cristiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hermes Sales
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences at Trairi. Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. Santa Cruz. RN. Brazil.. dan_anjo@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Débora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Azevedo Nascimento
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry. Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. Natal. RN. Brazil.. annacecilia@facisa.ufrn.br.
authors.forename: Anna Cecília
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Queiroz Medeiros
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition. Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. Natal. RN. Brazil.. limke@dod.ufrn.br.
authors.forename: Kênio
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Costa Lima
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Experimental Nutrition. Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. University of São Paulo. São Paulo. SP. Brazil.. lpedrosa@ufrnet.br.
authors.forename: Lucia Fátima
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Campos Pedrosa
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Experimental Nutrition. Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. University of São Paulo. São Paulo. SP. Brazil.. cecolli@usp.br.
authors.forename: Célia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Colli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008274:Magnesium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D008275:Magnesium Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D008274:Magnesium