Causal association between cataract and psychiatric disorders: A bidirectional 2-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Chronic pain, defined as pain persisting or recurring for more than 3 months, represents a major public health challenge worldwide and is a leading cause of disability, reduced quality of life, and increased healthcare utilization. In the United States, chronic pain affects a substantial proportion of adults and imposes significant socioeconomic burdens, highlighting the need to identify modifiable risk factors and preventive strategies. Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in numerous physiological processes, including neuromuscular transmission, energy metabolism, inflammatory regulation, and neuronal excitability. A growing body of evidence suggests that magnesium plays an important role in pain modulation, primarily through its antagonistic effects on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, which are central to pain transmission and central sensitization. Experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated that magnesium supplementation may reduce pain intensity and improve functional outcomes in patients with chronic pain, particularly those with neuropathic components or low back pain. Despite these mechanistic and clinical insights, population-based evidence linking magnesium status to chronic pain remains limited. Prior epidemiological studies have largely focused on dietary magnesium intake or serum magnesium levels, with inconsistent findings across populations. Moreover, magnesium depletion is a multifactorial condition influenced by dietary intake, metabolic disorders, medication use, and lifestyle factors, which may not be adequately captured by single biomarkers or intake measures. The Magnesium Depletion Score (MgDS), a composite index integrating multiple risk factors for magnesium deficiency, has been proposed as a more comprehensive indicator of magnesium depletion status in population studies.