ABSTRACT
The limited data available from analysis of human carcasses indicate that the magnesium content of the human body ranges between 22.7 and 35.0 meq/kg (272 to 420 mg/kg) wet weight of tissue. The magnesium contents obtained in various soft tissues in a study in Bombay, India, performed on 20 cases of instantaneous accidental death of normal adults, ranged from a maximum of 28.3 meq/ kg wet weight in breast tissue to a minimum of 11.7 meq/ kg in uterine tissue. The kinetics and rates of magnesium absorption in the ileum were comparable to those in the jejunum. Calcium had little or no influence on magnesium absorption. Magnesium absorption in the human appeared to be mediated by a transport process different from that which facilitates calcium absorption. The concentration of magnesium in other secretions varies considerably. Most of that portion of the magnesium which is absorbed into the body is excreted by the kidney.
