One possible explanation of the association between low serum magnesium concentrations and raised plasma lactate concentrations, may be that magnesium deficiency mediated compromise of PDH activity can result in pyruvate being unable to gain access into the mitochondrion for conversion to acetyl-CoA and thereby onto Krebs cycle (Figs. 1, 2) [28]. This evidence concerns the gene PDP1 and magnesium deficiency.