Masters of Health Magazine November 2025 | Page 73

Magnesium

and The

Thyroid Gland

In this module, we will explore the relationship between magnesium and the thyroid gland. While magnesium is often thought of in terms of energy production and muscle function, its role in thyroid hormone synthesis and metabolism is equally important.

Magnesium is essential for numerous biological processes that directly impact thyroid health, and plays a multifaceted role in thyroid physiology, acting as both a direct modulator of hormone synthesis and an indirect regulator of systemic processes that influence thyroid health.

This module will review the biochemical, clinical, and epidemiological studies that outline magnesium’s involvement in thyroid hormone production, conversion, and regulation, while examining its interplay with essential cofactors and secondary hormonal pathways.

Mechanisms

One of the primary roles of magnesium within the human body is its role in ATP bioactivation. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of the cell, must bind to a magnesium ion to become biologically active, forming a complex called Mg-ATP. This Mg-ATP complex is essential for powering nearly every cellular process that requires energy. [1]

Efects of Magnesium on the Thyroid Gland

Iodine Uptake

As with multiple hormones within the endocrine system, the Mg-ATP complex is indirectly required for the synthesis of thyroid hormones. This requirement begins with the uptake of iodide by thyroid follicular cells. The process is facilitated by sodium-iodide symporters (NIS). The NIS-mediated iodide uptake relies on the electrochemical sodium gradient, which is maintained by the sodium-potassium ATPase pump (Na+/K+ ATPase). [2,3] Magnesium plays a crucial role in the function of the sodium-potassium pump. It acts as an essential cofactor for ATP hydrolysis by the pump, with the Mg-ATP complex serving as the actual substrate for the enzyme. Consequently, magnesium indirectly facilitates the transport of iodine into thyroid follicular cells by enabling the sodium-potassium pump’s activity. [4]

In this module, we will explore the relationship between magnesium and the thyroid gland. While magnesium is often thought of in terms of energy production and muscle function, its role in thyroid hormone synthesis and metabolism is equally important.

Magnesium is essential for numerous biological processes that directly impact thyroid health, and plays a multifaceted role in thyroid physiology, acting as both a direct modulator of hormone synthesis and an indirect regulator of systemic processes that influence thyroid health.

This module will review the biochemical, clinical, and epidemiological studies that outline magnesium’s involvement in thyroid hormone production, conversion, and regulation, while examining its interplay with essential cofactors and secondary hormonal pathways.

Mechanisms

One of the primary roles of magnesium within the human body is its role in ATP bioactivation. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of the cell, must bind to a magnesium ion to become biologically active, forming a complex called Mg-ATP. This Mg-ATP complex is essential for powering nearly every cellular process that requires energy. [1]

Efects of Magnesium on the Thyroid Gland

Iodine Uptake

As with multiple hormones within the endocrine system, the Mg-ATP complex is indirectly required for the synthesis of thyroid hormones. This requirement begins with the uptake of iodide by thyroid follicular cells. The process is facilitated by sodium-iodide symporters (NIS). The NIS-mediated iodide uptake relies on the electrochemical sodium gradient, which is maintained by the sodium-potassium ATPase pump (Na+/K+ ATPase). [2,3] Magnesium plays a crucial role in the function of the sodium-potassium pump. It acts as an essential cofactor for ATP hydrolysis by the pump, with the Mg-ATP complex serving as the actual substrate for the enzyme. Consequently, magnesium indirectly facilitates the transport of iodine into thyroid follicular cells by enabling the sodium-potassium pump’s activity. [4]

By Curious Outlier