Concerned About Diabetes? Don t Fall Short on This Nutrient!
Magnesium is found in lots of foods, like whole grains, green leafy vegetables, nuts, legumes, coffee and dairy products. Even so, most people come up short. That’s bad news because new research suggests that not getting enough magnesium can increase your chance of developing type 2 diabetes.
The research, part of the large Framingham Study, reviewed the diets of 2,708 healthy people and found that people with the highest intake of magnesium had significantly lower insulin levels, both fasting and after consuming a sugar-loaded drink, compared to people with low magnesium intake. (Lower insulin levels indicate that their bodies were using insulin efficiently which is also known as good insulin sensitivity.) Poor insulin sensitivity is often the first step in the development of type 2 diabetes. Plus, poor insulin sensitivity and its accompanying high insulin levels appear to play a role in cancer promotion and heart disease.
It’s not surprising that magnesium affects insulin levels. It’s involved in a large number of chemical pathways in the body. Low magnesium may interfere with a cell’s ability to take in glucose; it may also hinder a cell’s ability to utilize the glucose that does enter the cell. Magnesium supplements have improved insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control in type 2 diabetics in several small studies. (Rumawas, ME, et al. J Am Coll Nutr 2006; 25(6):486-92.)
In this study, the group with the low magnesium intake averaged about 300 milligrams, while the high intake group got almost 400 milligrams a day, from foods and/or supplements. To help prevent type 2 diabetes, and other diseases that appear related to low magnesium intake, we suggest you aim for 350-400 mg a day.
