Magnesium, T2DM link seen in poor-carbohydrate-quality diet

(HealthDay)—The correlation between higher magnesium intake and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes is stronger in the context of poor-carbohydrate-quality diets, according to a study published online Oct. 4 in Diabetes Care.

Adela Hruby, Ph.D., M.P.H., from Tufts University in Boston, and colleagues assessed dietary intake from food frequency questionnaires every four years for participants in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), the NHS2, and the Health Professionals' Follow-Up Study (69,176, 91,471, and 42,096 participants, respectively). Biennial and supplementary questionnaires were used to ascertain type 2 diabetes status.

Over 28 years of follow-up, the researchers documented 17,130 incident cases of type 2 diabetes. Those with the highest versus the lowest magnesium intake had significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes in pooled analyses across the three cohorts (pooled multivariate hazard ratio in quintile 5 versus 1: 0.85). The association between higher magnesium intake and lower risk of type 2 diabetes was stronger for participants with high glycemic index or low cereal fiber than among those with low glycemic index or high cereal fiber.

"Higher magnesium intake is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, especially in the context of lower-carbohydrate-quality diets," the authors write.