Experimental studies on the intestinal uptake of organic and inorganic magnesium and potassium compounds given alone or simultaneously.

The peroral administration of magnesium and potassium compounds in effective doses (ED50) to rats yielded the following results: 1. Magnesium or potassium given as chlorides are significantly better absorbed than the corresponding aspartates. 2. In the presence of aspartate in higher concentrations the absorption of both magnesium and potassium is inhibited to a certain degree. 3. Increasing amounts of chloride cannot abolish the inhibitory effect of aspartate on potassium absorption, in contrast magnesium, which, in the presence of aspartate is better taken up when chloride is provided. 4. High concentrations of magnesium may perhaps impede the uptake of potassium to a small degree but not vice versa. 5. Magnesium losses from the body--induced by treatment with 9-alpha-fluorocortisol-acetate--can be effectively substituted by peroral administration of chloride-containing magnesium compounds over a reasonable time. The simultaneously occurring loss of potassium cannot be corrected correspondingly by potassium supplements.