The National Fibromyalgia Association refers to fibromyalgia as a syndrome characterized by pain in various locations all over the body. Pressure on tender points on both sides of the body involve soft tissue, joints, muscles and other sites on our skeleton and produce pain. Other problems of sleep disturbances, fatigue, memory and mood changes frequently accompany fibromyalgia. According to National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, fibromyalgia affects 5 million Americans. Magnesium plays a role against fibromyalgia at the cellular level.
Magnesium
"Current Pharmaceutical Design" reports that magnesium, a trace element, plays a role in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body. Magnesium enhances mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, production and intervenes in muscle metabolism. Energy transfers from carbohydrates in the body to molecules of ATP. Subsequently, ATP transfers energy to many different chemical reactions in the human body. "Rheumatology International" in 2010 described oxidative stress and free radicals as involved in the disease process of fibromyalgia. Free radicals accumulate in the mitochondria and cause damage. Antioxidant nutrients, such as magnesium, block the free radical damage.
Fibromyalgia Abnormalities
Fibromyalgia sufferers display general musculoskeletal pain, stiffness and pain at specific tender points in the human body along with a co-relationship with many other conditions, such as fatigue, headache, sleep disorders and irritable bowel syndrome. The primary mechanisms of dysfunctions in fibromyalgia remain unknown, but many factors are associated with the symptoms, according to "Rheumatology International" in 2006. One of the abnormalities involves the reduction of blood flow and ATP beneath the tender points exhibited in fibromyalgia.
Magnesium and Fibromyalgia
"Rheumatology International" in 2008 described a deficiency in trace elements, such as magnesium, selenium and zinc, as substances producing symptoms in the pathology of fibromyalgia. Researchers found evidence indicating a deficiency of components, such as magnesium, required for ATP production and involved in the disease process of fibromyalgia. An association exists between the symptom of fatigue and low levels of magnesium. As the magnesium level decreases, the energy level also diminishes at the same time.
Treatment Implications Regarding Magnesium
Fibromyalgia produces severe discomfort in patients, and the worldwide incidence appears high with fibromyalgia listed as one of the most frequent diagnoses in clinical rheumatology practice, according to "Clinical Biochemistry" in 2008. The exact cause of fibromyalgia remains unknown. "The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine" in 2010 reviewed the current non-pharmacological treatment of fibromyalgia. Magnesium supplementation produced beneficial effects and fewer symptoms for some groups of patients with fibromyalgia, but with too few clinical studies conducted to date, further investigations are needed prior to widespread use of magnesium supplements. Research does support the use of magnesium supplementation in individuals with fibromyalgia exhibiting subnormal levels of magnesium.
References
- National Fibromyalgia Association: About Fibromyalgia.
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases: Fibromyalgia.
- "Current Pharmaceutical Design"; Complementary and Alternative Medical Therapies in Fibromyalgia; A. J. Sarac & A. Gur; 2006
- Salem State College: Overview of ATP Production
- "Rheumatology International"; Fibromyalgia and Nutrition, What Do We Know?; L. Arranz, et al.; 2010
- "Rheumatology International"; Current Concepts in the Pathophysiology of Fibromyalgia; S. Ozgocmen, et al.; 2006
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