Analysis of Magnesium Contents in Commonly Consumed Foods and Evaluation of its Daily Intake in Korean Independent-Living Subjects

Magnesium, an element involved in a variety of biochemical and physiological processes in the human body, is closely linked to maintaining health and preventing disease. Even so, studies on the status of magnesium intake have never been conducted sufficiently since only recently a dietary reference intake value was proposed, and data on magnesium contents in food items have always been insufficient. Therefore, in this study, we selected 366 food items commonly consumed by Korean people and then analyzed their magnesium content with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. With these results, we evaluated daily magnesium intake in 239 healthy adult males and females. Using these 366 values based on magnesium content measurements, we evaluated the status of magnesium intake by our participants and found that the average daily magnesium intake was 279.2 mg, 90.4% of the recommended intake (RI). The results also showed that the magnesium intake by 54.8% of the subjects was lower than the estimated average requirement. In addition to this, the magnesium intake by 45.2% of the cohort was less than 75% of the RI. As such, a high percentage of the subjects showed inappropriate magnesium intake.