Magnesium as a new player in CKD: too little is as bad as too much?

Abstract

Vascular calcification is a serious complication of chronic kidney disease, but the current therapeutic strategy is insufficient for preventing its progression. Magnesium is a potent inhibitor of calcification and represents a promising therapeutic candidate. Diaz-Tocados and colleagues now demonstrate that magnesium supplementation prevents the progression of vascular calcification in a uremic rat model, independently of the phosphate-binding capacity. We should keep in mind, however, that too much magnesium could have adverse effects on bone metabolism.