Disorders in Magnesium Balance Decrease Erythrocyte Deformability in Athletes

Blood rheology was compared with the magnesium status in athletes (N = 45), who were divided into tertiles with a decreased ≤ 0.86 mmol/l), moderate (0.86–0.97 mmol/l), or high ≥0.97 mmol/l) Mg content in the blood serum. One-way ANOVA revealed differences in the erythrocyte suspension viscosity, total globulins, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL Ch), plasma viscosity, and acid resistance of erythrocytes. According to discriminant analysis, key differences were associated with the erythrocyte deformability (ED), which was decreased in the lower and upper tertiles. The decrease in ED directly correlated with Mg content in the lower tertile and with HDL Ch in the upper tertile. The athletes with the increased Mg had increased plasma viscosity, which was due to elevated globulins and triglycerides. Thus, Mg imbalance in the athletes was associated with a decrease in ED.__________Translated from Fiziologiya Cheloveka, Vol. 31, No. 3, 2005, pp. 133–136.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Melnikov, Vikulov.