Magnesium And Diabetes (type 2)
I first came across the benefits of magnesium years ago when I bought the book “Magnesium: The Miracle Mineral” by Dr Sandra Cabot. It's had good use over the years and it never ceases to amaze me just how many benefits magnesium really has, for everyone, and for diabetics too. Magnesium deficiency has been linked to atherosclerosis/ heart disease and heart attack, alterations in blood lipids/ cholesterol, alterations in blood sugar, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, kidney stones, premenstrual syndrome and psychiatric disorders, and the list goes on. If you look up ‘Diabetes and Magnesium' on Google Scholar or PubMed, you'll find lots of studies on the different ways type 2 diabetes and magnesium intake are connected (sorry to exclude type 1s from this discussion). It's even been shown in large studies that low magnesium intake increases your risk for developing type 2 diabetes in the first place, which is quite surprising. Studies suggest that over the past 100 years our intake has gone from 500 mg day to 175-225 mg day, which is less than half of what we were consuming. Why such a decrease? As usual it comes down to our modern lifestyles and the reasons point to the use of fertilizer, nutrient depleted soils, plus excessive consumption of processed and packaged foods. So what makes magnesium so special anyway? Let's find out. Miracle Magnesium Mineral Magnesium is an electrolyte that's involved in over 300 cellular processes in the body, meaning this mineral is a busy little body indeed! Half of the body's magnesium is in the bones and the other half is in the muscles and soft tissues of the body – organs, cells and so forth. Magnesium is essential for: Energy metabolism Glucose utilization Protein synthesis Fatty acid synthesis and breakdown Muscle contraction Continue reading >>
Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium And Diabetes
When it comes to minerals such as magnesium, calcium and potassium, people with diabetes may get too much of a good thing. While these minerals benefit your body in some ways, in others they are related to diabetes. Learn how these well-known minerals may have an impact on diabetes and other related health issues. Often referred to as one of the building blocks to life, magnesium is transported from your blood into your cells by insulin. When you have a magnesium deficiency, you may develop insulin resistance. This can be a precursor to conditions such as diabetes or heart disease. Insulin regulates the entry of sugar into the cells to create energy. A diet that includes the right amount of magnesium can help reduce your risk of developing these health conditions. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for magnesium for adult men is 410 to 420 mg/d and 310 to 320 mg/d for women, depending on your age. Recent studies show magnesium levels tend to be lower in people with diabetes. Other conditions linked to magnesium deficiency include cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and ketoacidosis as well as calcium deficiency and potassium deficiency. Certain diabetes medications can raise magnesium levels, such as Pioglitazone and Metformin. Include foods in your diet that have plenty of magnesium, such as almonds, whole grains and spinach. Your doctor may recommend taking magnesium supplements to help improve your insulin sensitivity and reduce your blood pressure. Always consult with your physician before taking magnesium supplements. Too much magnesium can lead to toxicity. Symptoms include nausea, muscle weakness, hypotension, irregular heartbeat and urine retention. Your doctor may decide to measure your serum magnesium levels. Potassium is frequently called an electrolyte Continue reading >>
Magnesium Lowers Type 2 Diabetes Risk
Dec. 23, 2003 -- Want to reduce your diabetes risk? Make a spinach salad your next meal, with a side of whole-wheat bread or almonds. Two new studies suggest magnesium-rich foods like these can significantly lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, even in obese people who are at high risk for the disease. Earlier studies linked magnesium deficiency with an increased risk for diabetes. The latest findings carry this observation further by confirming the mineral's role in protecting against the disease. The larger of the two studies involved roughly 85,000 women and 42,000 men who completed dietary intake questionnaires every two to four years. The smaller study had a similar design and involved just under 40,000 women who were 45 or older. Both studies were conducted by researchers from Harvard University, and both are published in the January 2004 issue of the journal Diabetes Care. In the larger study, the female subjects were followed for 18 years and the men for 12, during which time roughly 5,400 people developed type 2 diabetes. Even after taking into account diabetes risk factors such as age, weight, physical activity, smoking, and family history, those with the highest dietary levels of magnesium were found to have significantly lower risk for type 2 diabetes compared with those with the lowest magnesium levels. The risk remained significant even after the researchers adjusted for other dietary variables associated with type 2 diabetes risk, such as fat fiber and glycemic load. The risk reduction was similar in the second study. So if eating leafy green vegetables, nuts, and other magnesium-rich foods is good, is taking magnesium in supplement form an even better way to protect against diabetes? Diabetes expert Jerry Nadler, MD, says it not clear whether su Continue reading >>
Magnesium And Type 2 Diabetes
Go to: INTRODUCTION Magnesium (Mg) is an electrolyte of chief physiological importance in the body, being the most abundant divalent intracellular cation in the cells, the second most abundant cellular ion next to potassium and the fourth cation in general in the human body[1]. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) is often accompanied by alteration of Mg status. An increased prevalence of Mg deficits have been identified in DM2 patients, especially in those with poorly controlled glycemic profiles, with longer duration of the disease and with the presence of micro- and macrovascular chronic complications[2-6]. Laboratory tests with a high sensitivity and specificity and easy to perform to allow an accurate clinical assessment of Mg status are missing. Patients are considered frankly hypomagnesemic with serum Mg concentrations ≤ 0.61 mmol/L or 1.5 mg/dL[7-9]. Mg concentrations ≤ 0.75 mmol/L or 1.8 mg/dL may be considered as preclinical hypomagnesemia[10,11]. Mg deficiency can be present without hypomagnesemia. However, hypomagnesemia, when present, is usually indicative of an important systemic Mg deficit. A depletion in intracellular and/or ionized plasma Mg can be found in individuals with normal total serum Mg[12]. However, most of the studies in the literature have measured total serum Mg instead of the free, ionized (bioactive) or the intracellular Mg concentrations, which make it a challenge to correlate Mg deficits to diseases. We have recently confirmed that diabetic older patients are more prone to hypomagnesemia; this condition being closely related to metabolic control as measured by glycated hemoglobin even after adjustment for relevant confounders. Ionized Mg may help to identify diabetic older adults with low concentrations of blood Mg that are not evident wi Continue reading >>
Is It Safe To Take Supplements If You Have Diabetes?
You will find supplements for anything and everything these days. Even when you do not suffer from an ailment, supplements are suggested to keep you healthy and ailment-free. According to CDC, use of supplements is common among US adult population – over 50% adults used supplements during 2003-2006, with multivitamins/multiminerals being the most commonly used. So when you are a diabetic, especially if you have prediabetes and type-2 diabetes, you may find yourself confronting a large number of options for supplements that claim to support, reduce and even cure your diabetes. Diabetes is quite a frustrating disorder and you may find yourself tempted to try out these supplements one after another. But is it really safe to take supplements when you are a diabetic? Let us find out. But before that you need to understand what exactly supplements are. Defining Supplements As the name suggests, a supplement is anything that adds on to something. A dietary supplement is therefore something that one takes in addition to one’s diet to get proper nutrition. US Congress in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act defines dietary supplements as having the following characteristics: It is a product that is intended to supplement the diet; It contains one or more dietary ingredients (including vitamins, minerals, herbs and other botanicals, amino acids, and other substances) or their constituents; It is intended to be taken by mouth as a pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid; It is not represented for use as a conventional food or as sole item of a mean or a diet; and, It is labeled on the front panel as being a dietary supplement. Now let us look at some general benefits and risks of taking supplements. We will discuss these in context of diabetes later in the article. Benefit Continue reading >>
What Are The Effects Of Magnesium Supplements On Diabetes?
Magnesium supplementation for patients with diabetes requires further study because though benefit has been shown in most research trials, there are some trials showing no benefit at all. Magnesium is in abundant supply in diets rich in whole grains, nuts, and unprocessed foods. Typically, even patients with diabetes who are eating a healthy diet achieve adequate magnesium levels. However, many people with diabetes have been found to be magnesium deficit and some experts believe magnesium supplementation improves the body’s regulation of insulin, lowers insulin resistance and modulates vascular tone. These actions of magnesium explain how it might help achieve blood sugar control -- the main goal of diabetes care. Talk to your doctor if you’d like to explore magnesium supplements as an option for your care. Some studies suggest that magnesium supplements can help some people with diabetes improve their blood sugar control. And several large studies have found that people whose diets tend to be low in magnesium are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes over several years. Magnesium is involved in the release and action of insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar levels. If you have diabetes, talk to your doctor about getting your magnesium levels tested and about magnesium supplements. If you don't have diabetes, make sure your diet contains magnesium-rich foods, such as whole grains and green vegetables. While the association between diets low in magnesium and diabetes is strong, research has not determined whether taking magnesium-containing supplements can help prevent diabetes. One of the best examples of a situation when the medical community has hesitated to recommend a nutritional supplement that would significantly reduce suffering and death is the use Continue reading >>
Reversing Insulin Resistance – The Insulin Magnesium Story
Magnesium is necessary for both the action of insulin and the manufacture of insulin. Reversing insulin resistanceis the most basic first step to reversing diabetes and heart disease.. Magnesium is a basic building block to life and is present in ionic form throughout the full landscape of human physiology. Without insulin though, magnesium doesn’t get transported from our blood into our cells where it is most needed. When Dr. Jerry Nadler of the Gonda Diabetes Center at the City of Hope Medical Center in Duarte, California, and his colleagues placed 16 healthy people on magnesium-deficient diets, their insulin became less effective at getting sugar from their blood into their cells, where it’s burned or stored as fuel. In other words, they became less insulin sensitive or what is called insulin resistant.. Insulin Defination Insulin is a common denominator, a central figure in life as is magnesium. The task of insulin is to store excess nutritional resources.This system is an evolutionary development used to save energy and other nutritional necessities in times (or hours) of abundance in order to survive in times of hunger. Little do we appreciate that insulin is not just responsible for regulating sugar entry into the cells but also magnesium, one of the most important substances for life. It is interesting to note here that the kidneys are working at the opposite end physiologically dumping from the blood excess nutrients that the body does not need or cannot process in the moment. Controlling the level of blood sugars is only one of the many functions of insulin. Insulin plays a central role in storing magnesium but if our cells become resistant to insulin, or if we do not produce enough insulin, then we have a difficult time storing magnesium in the cells wher Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Magnesium: The Emerging Role Of Oral Magnesium Supplementation
The Magnesium Report Article By Yiqing Song, MD, ScD - Published in Diabetologia Elevated serum magnesium associated with SGLT2 inhibitor use in type 2 diabetes patients: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials Clinical, Research, and Laboratory News for Cardiologists Third Quarter 2000 The link between diabetes mellitus and magnesium deficiency is well known. A growing body of evidence suggests that magnesium plays a pivotal role in reducing cardiovascular risks and may be involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes itself. While the benefits of oral magnesium supplementation on glycemic control have yet to be demonstrated in patients, magnesium supplementation has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity. Based on current knowledge, clinicians have good reason to believe that magnesium repletion may play a role in delaying type 2 diabetes onset and potentially in warding off its devastating complications -- cardiovascular disease, retinopathy, and nephropathy. Magnesium needs in the American population The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for magnesium is 6 mg/kg/d. This means 400 mg/d to 420 mg/d for adult men and 320 mg/d for adult women (and even more for women who are pregnant or lactating). By these standards, which have been promulgated by the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine after great deliberation, research, and literature review, an estimated 50% to 85% of the population of the United States is receiving an inadequate magnesium intake. Levels of magnesium may be particularly low in certain populations, such as African Americans. For example, the prevalence of hypomagnesemia is 20% among urban African Americans in the city of Buffalo, NY, and surrounding area. This exceeds the prevalence of hypomagnesemia in the general popula Continue reading >>
What Everyone With Type 2 Diabetes Should Know About Magnesium
If you have type 2 diabetes and you don’t know whether you are magnesium deficient or if you are getting enough magnesium in your diet, then keep reading. It’s been confirmed in a recent World Journal of Diabetes report that most people who have type 2 diabetes have low magnesium, and since this mineral has a key role in blood sugar (glucose) control, it’s a good idea to understand how much you have, how much you need, and how it can help you. Read more about magnificent magnesium Magnesium and diabetes Magnesium plays a role in more than 300 biochemical activities in the body, and several of those activities are associated with magnesium metabolism, insulin, and glucose. Therefore, if blood (or plasma) levels of magnesium drop too low, anyone who has diabetes may expect to experience some difficulties. For example, according to a new study appearing in Diabetes, hypomagnesemia (defined as a serum level of less than 0.7 mmol/L of magnesium; see values below) “has been strongly associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus,” and that individuals with hypomagnesemia “show a more rapid disease progression and have an increased risk for diabetes complications.” It’s also been noted that older people with diabetes are more prone to hypomagnesemia, so it may be even more critical to check magnesium levels in older diabetics. The authors went on to explain that people with type 2 diabetes who are deficient in magnesium are more insulin resistant and have reduced activity in their beta cells, which are the insulin producing cells. Magnesium supplementation, however, has been shown to improve glucose metabolism, oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, magnesium deficiency, and sensitivity to insulin. At the same time, low dietary intake of magnesium has been associat Continue reading >>
Magnesium And Diabetes: A Hidden Link In Blood Sugar Levels
Magnesium plays an important role in preventing diabetes and improving conditions for diabetics. Regulating blood sugar levels is among the many activities of this essential mineral. Magnesium controls blood sugar, or glucose, to thwart insulin resistance, which leads to Type 2 diabetes, explains Dr. Joseph Mercola, an osteopathic physician specializing in preventive health care. Insulin resistance causes blood sugar levels to become high. ALERT: This Common Metal Keeps Your Heart Beating and Alive Diabetics benefit from magnesium because many patients with insulin resistance lose the mineral through urination, causing the unhealthy cycle of magnesium deficiency and increased blood sugar levels. Mercola points to a six-month study of people with insulin resistance where subjects who were given 365 mg of magnesium daily had lower blood sugar levels and better control of insulin than those in a control group. Additionally, an analysis of 13 studies involving 500,000 subjects has linked higher intake of magnesium with a reduced risk of diabetes, Today's Dietitian reports. In Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin at all. Type 2 encompasses too-little or ineffectively used insulin in the body. SPECIAL: Top Cardiologist Asks: Can Magnesium Save Your Heart? Type 1 diabetes has been found to result in magnesium deficiency, vision disorders, and nerve damage, Clara Schneider, a licensed dietitian, nutritionist, and certified diabetes educator, writes at DiabetesCare.net. So magnesium is involved with diabetes prevention and helps with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. “A serious discussion should take place with healthcare professionals on magnesium status and if more dietary magnesium is needed or even supplements,” Schneider says. Supplements should be taken on Continue reading >>
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- Low Magnesium May Play Key Role in Insulin Resistance and Diabetes
8 Supplements That May Help Diabetes
Of the 29.1 million Americans with diabetes, as many as 31 percent use complementary or alternative medicines, including supplements, to help manage their condition. In fact, the amount of money spent on dietary supplements could be staggering. "I think it's bigger than the pharmacy business, if you add it all up," says Jeffrey Tipton, DO, MPH, vice president and medical director at AppleCare Medical Management in Los Angeles. So is all that money going to good use? "There are some indications that some supplements may be helpful, but there's nothing definitive," says Julie T. Chen, MD, an internist and founder of Making Healthy EZ, an integrative health clinic in San Jose, California. While you shouldn't use supplements to replace your diabetes medication, research on some of them does suggest that they can help with type 2 diabetes management. Supplements for Type 2 Diabetes: A Closer Look If you're taking or considering taking a supplement, telling your doctor is a must because some supplements can interfere with diabetes or other drugs, such as blood thinners. Here's a look at nine dietary supplements that are commonly used by people with type 2 diabetes: Chromium A metal and an essential trace mineral, this is thought to help reduce blood sugar levels. It is naturally occurring in meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, spices, and whole-wheat and rye breads. As a supplement, it is sold as chromium picolinate, chromium chloride, and chromium nicotinate. "People were excited about chromium about 20 years ago," Dr. Tipton says. At low doses, its use appears safe for most people and may be of some help; but taken over long periods, chromium can cause side effects that include kidney issues — already a problem for some people with diabetes. Magnesium This metal is essential Continue reading >>
Diabetes, Type 2
What is type 2 diabetes? Also called adult-onset diabetes, type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder resulting from the body’s inability to properly use or ultimately make enough insulin, the hormone that helps regulate sugar, starches and other foods the body uses for energy. It is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for 90 to 95 percent of all cases. Type 2 diabetes is nearing epidemic proportions in the United States as a result of a greater prevalence of obesity and sedentary lifestyles. The upswing is also due to the increasing number of older people in the population. What are the symptoms? Many symptoms of diabetes such as excessive thirst or irritability, can seem unimportant, which is one of the reasons why the disease often goes undiagnosed. However, early detection is very important because it can reduce the odds of developing the dangerous complications of diabetes. Common symptoms include: Frequent urination Excessive thirst Extreme hunger Unusual weight loss Increased fatigue Irritability Blurry vision If high blood sugar levels are not brought under control via treatment type 2 diabetes (and type 1 diabetes as well) can lead to a number of serious complications: Eye damage: People with diabetes have a 40 percent higher than normal risk of developing glaucoma, increased pressure within the eye that can lead to vision loss. They are also 60 percent more likely than normal to develop cataracts, which cloud the lens of the eye, blocking light and blurring vision. They are also at risk of diabetic retinopathy, damage to the retina that is the leading cause of impaired vision in the United States. High blood pressure: This disorder occurs at twice the normal rate among diabetics. Heart disease: Deaths from heart disease among diabetics are two to four Continue reading >>
Low Magnesium May Play Key Role In Insulin Resistance And Diabetes
Magnesium plays a key role in preventing insulin dysregulation and type 2 diabetes, according to several recent studies—yet 80 percent of Americans are likely magnesium deficient One study found those with the highest magnesium intake reduced their risk of metabolic problems by 71 percent Another study concluded magnesium is highly protective for those at high risk for type 2 diabetes Inadequate magnesium intake creates a vicious cycle of low magnesium levels in your body, elevated insulin and blood glucose levels, and excess loss of magnesium in your urine The best source of magnesium is whole, organic foods, especially dark green leafy vegetables; other good sources include seaweed, dried pumpkin seeds, unsweetened cocoa, flaxseed, almond butter, and whey Of the many forms of magnesium supplements available today, a newer form called magnesium threonate shows particular promise due to its ability to penetrate cell membranes, even those in your brain By Dr. Mercola Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body. If you don't have enough of it, your body simply cannot function at its best. Insufficient cellular magnesium levels set the stage for deterioration of proper metabolic function that typically snowballs into more significant health problems. As reported by GreenMedInfo,1 researchers have now detected 3,751 magnesium-binding sites on human proteins, reflecting how important this mineral is to a great many biological processes. For example, magnesium plays a role in your body's detoxification processes and therefore is important for minimizing damage from environmental chemicals, heavy metals, and other toxins. Even glutathione, considered by many to be your body's most powerful antioxidant, requires magnesium in order to be produced. Magnesium also Continue reading >>
6 Of The Best Dietary Supplements For A Diabetic Diet—and 3 You Should Avoid
Should I take supplements? From cinnamon and magnesium to herbal formulas claiming to smack down high blood sugar, “diabetes-friendly” supplements are popping up in health food stores and drugstores and in the medicine cabinets of more and more people with diabetes. More than 50 percent of people with diabetes say they’ve used dietary supplements, according to one 2011 study—and at least one in four has given herbal remedies a try. The big question: Should you? “People with diabetes may be looking for something that seems less potent than a medication or something that will treat other health issues beyond blood sugar control, such as high cholesterol,” notes Laura Shane-McWhorter, PharmD, a University of Utah professor of pharmacotherapy and author of The American Diabetes Association Guide to Herbs & Nutritional Supplements: What You Need to Know from Aloe to Zinc. But experts are reluctant to recommend supplements to people with diabetes for two important health reasons. First, there’s virtually no research on long-term safety. Second, no supplement controls blood sugar as effectively as diabetes drugs (in combination with a healthy lifestyle). “There are no miracle treatments for diabetes,” Shane-McWhorter says. “The most important thing to know if you have diabetes is that no supplement will take care of it for you. Diabetes is a condition that can be well-controlled with a healthy lifestyle plus medication if needed. A supplement can’t replace those.” And new science is changing the supplement landscape. In consulting the latest research as well as supplement experts for this report on the best-studied and most widely used supplements, we found that some popular pills—chromium, we’re talking about you—aren’t living up to their reput Continue reading >>
Magnesium And Diabetes
Diabetic patients need more magnesium! Diabetic patients very often have an inadequate magnesium intake. Numerous studies have proven that Type 2 diabetic patients often have a low serum magnesium level. This is caused by the elevated blood glucose values that result in a changed renal function and in consequence, to an increased excretion of magnesium via the urine. Should diabetic patients additionally take diuretics, gastric acid blockers (proton pump inhibitors) or laxatives, this could increase the magnesium deficiency further. This is the reason why especially diabetes mellitus patients should ensure that they have an adequate magnesium intake. How can a diabetic patient recognise a magnesium deficiency? Magnesium participates in more than 300 metabolic processes in the body. A magnesium deficiency can therefore make itself known with numerous signals. Typical symptoms for a magnesium deficiency are: muscle cramps, muscular tension unrest, nervousness, irritability headaches, migraines cardiac arrhythmias sleep disorders. A magnesium deficiency can be diagnosed by measuring the magnesium concentration in the blood. An inadequate intake can occur despite the magnesium values in the blood being normal however, as the body balances out a magnesium deficiency in the blood by releasing magnesium from the bones, for example. In addition to the blood tests, one should therefore also watch out for the above signals! Does magnesium reduce the risk of diabetes? Studies have provided unanimous proof that a low magnesium level in the blood represents a strongly increased risk of contracting type 2 diabetes. The opposite has also been proven: an increased magnesium intake reduces the risk of having Type 2 diabetes. A meta-analysis resulted in the determination of a 15% reducti Continue reading >>
