Effect of Magnesium Supplementation on Chronic Kidney Disease-Mineral and Bone Disorder in Hemodialysis Patients: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objectives Research about the effects of magnesium (Mg) supplementation on chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder (CKD-MBD) among hemodialysis (HD) patients is controversial. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to examine Mg supplementation's effects on CKD-MBD in patients requiring dialysis. Methods The PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched for English language studies up to September 2020. The main indicators of our study were changes in serum Mg, calcium (Ca), phosphate, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and C-reactive protein levels, and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) after Mg supplementation. Mg efficacy was evaluated by weighted mean difference (WMD) and confidence intervals (CIs), and subgroup analyses of intervention type and intervention duration were also performed. Results Eight eligible studies comprising 309 HD patients were included in our meta-analysis. Mg supplementation alone produced a negative effect on serum PTH levels (WMD = −236.56; 95% CI −349.71 to −123.41) and CIMT (WMD = −0.18; 95% CI −0.34 to −0.01). A subgroup analysis based on intervention type showed a significant improvement in serum Mg (WMD = 1.08; 95% CI 0.51-1.64) and Ca (WMD = −0.50; 95% CI −0.77 to −0.23) levels when Mg was administered via dialysate and oral medication, respectively. Different intervention durations had no effect on serum Mg levels. Mg supplementation had no significant effect on serum phosphate (WMD = −0.25; 95% CI −0.64 to 0.14) and C-reactive protein levels (WMD = −0.02; 95% CI −2.80 to 2,76). Conclusions Our results showed that Mg supplementation alone could improve CKD-MBD by regulating serum Ca and PTH metabolism and decreasing CIMT among HD patients.