Lee Swanson Research Update

Magnesium Supplements May Reduce Diabetes Risk

January 2011

Supplements of magnesium may improve sensitivity to insulin and help reduce the risk of diabetes in overweight people, suggest new findings from German scientists.

Daily supplements of the mineral for six months improved two out of three measures of insulin sensitivity, compared with placebo, while blood sugar levels, measured as fasting levels of glucose in the blood, improved by about seven percent, researchers reported in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.

"The results of the current study provide significant evidence that magnesium supplementation ameliorates insulin resistance in obese, insulin resistant subjects," reported researchers, led by Prof. Frank Christoph Mooren, from the Institute of Sport Sciences at the Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen, Germany.

Insulin resistance occurs when insufficient insulin is released to produce a normal glucose response from fat, muscle and liver cells.

"The efficacy of magnesium supplementation—even in subjects with normal serum magnesium concentrations—addresses the question of a prophylactic administration for people at risk for metabolic syndrome and highlights the need of sufficient magnesium intake by food," they added.

Dietary sources of magnesium include green, leafy vegetables, meats, starches, grains and nuts, and milk. Earlier dietary surveys show that a large portion the adult population does not meet the RDA for magnesium (320 mg per day for women and 420 mg per day for men).

The German researchers randomized 52 volunteers to receive magnesium supplements at a dose of 365 mg per day or placebo for six months.

Results showed that two out of three measures of insulin sensitivity improved significantly following magnesium supplementation, while there was also a trend for an improvement in blood pressure in the mineral-supplemented group, but such improvements were not statistically significant, added the researchers.

"Several mechanisms may be responsible for the beneficial effect of magnesium on insulin resistance," wrote the researchers. "These include direct effects of magnesium on the insulin receptor and its downstream signaling processes, enhanced enzyme activities involved in glucose utilization, prevention of an intracellular calcium overload supposed to negatively affect insulin sensitivity, and finally, anti-inflammatory effects known to improve insulin resistance," they added.

Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Published online ahead of print.

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