The team first explored how magnesium affects metabolism. Being the fourth most abundant in the element, it plays fundamental roles in regulating blood sugar, blood pressure and building bones. However, too much magnesium in the blood slows energy production in the mitochondria.
Deleting the gene, MSR2, which supports magnesium transport into the mitochondria prevented weight gain and adverse liver changes in mice that were subjected to long-term dietary stress precipitated by a high-sugar and fatty Western diet.
CPACC, the compound that the researchers developed, accomplishes the same mechanism. The experiments still showed skinny yet healthy mice. Lowering the mitochondrial magnesium prevented the adverse effects of a high caloric diet including obesity, type II diabetes and cardiovascular complications.
