Diabetes Risk Is Reduced by 15% With Magnesium Intake, Carb Choices

Increased magnesium intake is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, especially among individuals who regularly consume low-quality carbohydrates, according to a recent study.

Many previous observational studies have linked higher magnesium intake with a lower risk of diabetes, but few studies have investigated this association in relation to carbohydrate quality and consumption.
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The researchers evaluated patients enrolled in 3 different cohorts: the 1984-2012 Nurses’ Health Study (n = 69,176), the 1991-2013 Nurses’ Health Study 2 (n = 91,471), and the 1986-2012 Health Professionals’ Follow-Up Study (n = 42,096). Food frequency questionnaires were administered to participants in each cohort every 4 years, and biennial and supplementary questionnaires were used to identify cases of type 2 diabetes.

Multivariate hazard ratios of magnesium intake and incident diabetes were calculated and adjusted for age, body mass index, family history of diabetes, physical activity, smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, glycemic load, energy intake, alcohol, cereal fiber, polyunsaturated fats, trans fatty acids, and processed meat. The joint associations of magnesium and carbohydrate quality with the risk for diabetes were also taken into account.

Results indicated that 17,130 incident cases of diabetes had emerged throughout the 28-year follow-up period. Pooled analyses across the 3 cohorts demonstrated that participants with the highest magnesium intake had a 15% lower risk of type 2 diabetes vs those with the lowest magnesium intake. The researchers noted that the association between higher magnesium intake and lower diabetes risk was strongest among participants with a high glycemic index or low cereal fiber consumption vs those with a low glycemic index or high cereal fiber consumption.

“Higher magnesium intake is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, especially in the context of lower-carbohydrate-quality diets,” the researchers concluded.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Hruby A, Guasch-Ferré M, Bhupathiraju SN, et al. Magnesium intake, quality of carbohydrates, and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from three U.S. cohorts [Published online October 4, 2017]. Diabetes Care. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc17-1143.