Magnesium Deficiency: Its Impact on Gut Microbiota and Depression

Abstract Summary:

  • The study investigated the connection between gut microbiota (GM) and behavior changes, focusing on the role of magnesium deficiency. It highlighted that a magnesium-restricted diet could induce anxiety and depressive-like behavior, potentially mediated by altered GM.

Methods Used:

  • The experiment involved feeding C57BL/6 mice either a standard diet or a magnesium-deficient diet (MgD) for six weeks.
  • Behavioral testing was conducted using the forced swim test (FST) to evaluate depressive-like behavior.
  • An intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (GTT) was performed for assessing metabolic changes.
  • Neuroinflammatory markers were analyzed from the hippocampus, and GM composition was correlated to behavior and hippocampal markers.

Results:

  • Mice on the MgD diet showed more immobility in the FST, indicating increased depressive-like behavior.
  • There was no significant difference in GTT results.
  • GM composition positively correlated with behavior in undisturbed mice, and the MgD diet altered the microbial composition.
  • The altered GM was positively correlated with hippocampal interleukin-6.

Conclusion:

  • The study hypothesizes that imbalances in the microbiota-gut-brain axis, induced by a magnesium-deficient diet, contribute to the development of depressive-like behavior

DOI10.1017/neu.2015.7

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