UMDF mito doc re magnesium orotate

January 2, 2006

I know there was some discussion about Magnesium Orotate earlier, and my doc has

recently started me on 800 mg per day for cramps and spasm. I came across this

in UMDF Mito Doc so it might be of interest:

Q: My son has MELAS. Our doctor is recommending Magnesium Orotate amoung the

other normally prescribed vitamins. Has this been helpful for others? And, is

there any new research about the use of Mg Orotate?

A: 8/25/05 Magnesium Orotate is still under investigation. It is a drug which is

given at lower doses for magnesium supplementation. It was considered as a

treatment for mitochondrial disease since it is converted to dihydro-orotate in

the body, and an electron donor to Coenzyme Q10 (in theory it helps CoQ10 work

better). It is also a potent anti-oxidant and helps the body synthesize more DNA

precursors (purines) This drug is not yet standard of care for mitochondrial

disease patients since it has not been studied enough. Most studies of this drug

have been in animal models, and for treatment of heart disease. In these studies

it has shown varying benefit in decreasing cardiac injury in times of stress and

increasing exercise tolerance in those with an injured heart muscle. It has also

been studied for treating muscle weakness related to " statin " drugs used to

treat elevated cholesterol. There are no current US trials of this medicine for

mitochondrial disease (or for any other disease for that matter). Dr.

(Tony) Linnane, who spoke at the recent UMDF conference, is a

researcher/physician from Melbourne, Australia. He studies the effects of aging,

cancer and cardiac disease on the mitochondria, and is studying Magnesium

Orotate. But again, these studies are not on individuals with primary

mitochondrial disease. So - while there are no obvious contraindications to this

medicine, it's true benefits and toxicities for individuals with mitochondrial

disease are not yet known. The only obvious risk is that of magnesium poisoning.

This has been reported in the medical literature. Sumit Parikh, MD

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