If magnesium is helping alleviate NVP for some women, how is it doing it? As I was researching the enzyme sulfite oxidase recently, I came across an article describing how the molybdenum cofactor, which is incorporated into sulfite oxidase, is formed (http://www.jbc.org/content/288/19/13165.full.pdf). It appears that the process of forming the molybdenum cofactor relies on magnesium in three different places:
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| Magnesium (Mg) is used three times in the process of forming the molybdenum cofactor (MoCo). Image from "The Molybdenum Cofactor," Ralf R. Mendel* (2013). The Journal of Biological Chemistry 288:13165-13172, 13167. |
Supporting the formation of sulfite oxidase (and thus the speedy conversion of nausea-inducing sulfite to sulfate) requires getting enough magnesium. I don't see a reason to give large amounts of supplemental magnesium, but being deficient in magnesium seems as though it could contribute to NVP and so should be avoided.
* I want to note here that Ralf R. Mendel is one of my heroes. He has done painstaking, thorough research for years on molybdenum-containing enzymes and much of my recent research has depended in part on his work.
(Disclaimer: I do not prescribe the use of pharmaceutical drugs in any way. I am not a physician, and I reject out of hand any attempt to hold me liable for what boils down to a discussion of food. Any use of a molybdenum supplement should be prudent and guided by the tested tolerable upper intake levels for its usage (see http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/molybdenum for those limits). Any use of an isolated molybdenum supplement during pregnancy should be under the direction of a medical professional as such supplements have apparently not been tested during pregnancy.)
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