Grocery Essentials

Grocery Essentials

If you believe you’re at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, get out your shopping list and add these items:

• Leafy green vegetables
• Avocados
• Nuts
• Whole grains

Each of these foods is high in magnesium – a nutrient that may be a key player in preventing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

The whole package

First, let’s review what we already know about magnesium and metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome (often referred to as “metabolic syndrome X,” or just MSX) is a set of symptoms that creates a high risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Core symptoms include excessive abdominal fat, elevated triglyceride and CRP levels, low HDL, high blood pressure, and a fasting glucose level that would indicate possible insulin resistance. As noted in previous e-Alerts, three or more of these symptoms are all that’s required to diagnose metabolic syndrome.

In 2005, researchers from Brigham and women’s Hospital collected dietary and medical data from more than 11,000 women over the age of 45 who participated in the ongoing Women’s Health Study. Results showed that subjects with the highest magnesium intake had a 27 percent lower risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

The following year, Northwestern University researchers reported on a study in which dietary and medical records for more than 4,600 healthy subjects were followed for 15 years. As in the Brigham and Women’s study, highest intake of magnesium was linked with a significantly lower risk of MSX.

These results are not entirely surprising. Previous research suggests that magnesium helps heart muscles relax, reduces blood pressure, and helps control homocysteine and C-reactive protein levels.

Six of seven

The newest magnesium/diabetes research comes from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Karolinska team reviewed seven large studies similar to the two above – in each study, dietary and medical records were followed over a long period. Four studies tracked diet only, while three studies reviewed dietary habits and supplement intake. The combined studies included more than 286,000 subjects.

Results: Six of the studies found a significant association between high magnesium intake and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. The sources of magnesium – whether from diet or supplements combined with diet – were equally effective. Diabetes risk dropped by 15 percent for every 100 mg increase in magnesium intake.

In e-Alerts and HSI Members Alerts we’ve told you about the wide range of magnesium benefits, including the promotion of bone health in postmenopausal women and reduced risk of cognitive decline. Unfortunately, it’s quite easy to become magnesium deficient. High stress and menstruation can take their toll on magnesium levels, while a heavy intake of starches, alcohol, diuretics and some prescription drugs (such as antibiotics) can increase urinary excretion of magnesium.

If a blood test shows your magnesium level is low (a normal range is anywhere between .66 and 1.23 millimoles per liter), HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., recommends 500 mg of magnesium per day, with the added note that magnesium gluconate and chelated magnesium are the preferred supplement forms.

Talk to your doctor before adding magnesium to your supplement regimen.

Sources:
“Magnesium Intake and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis” Journal of Internal Medicine, Vol. 262, No. 2, August 2007, blackwell-synergy.com
“Magnesium Intake, C-Reactive Protein, and the Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Middle-Aged and Older U.S. Women” Diabetes Care, Vol. 28, No. 6, June 2005, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov