Written by Jessica Patella, ND. Most Americans are deficient in magnesium. By meeting the recommended daily allowance (400mg per day), insulin resistance is lowered by 71%.
Historically, the U.S. population does not consume enough of the essential nutrient magnesium. An estimated 23% of Americans are so deficient in magnesium they have hypomagnesemia, a state of very low blood levels of magnesium (2). This is a concern because magnesium is essential in over 300 chemical reactions in the body, including regulating blood sugar levels, blood pressure and bone health (1). Recent research suggests that magnesium intake is low in non-diabetics with metabolic syndrome and increasing magnesium intake may protect against insulin resistance (1).
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of signs, of which at least three must be present to be diagnosed with the syndrome:
- Waist circumference is greater than 102 cm in males and greater than 88 cm in females
- Triglycerides greater than 150 mg/dL
- HDL cholesterol less than 40 gm/dL
- Blood pressure higher than130/85 mmHg
- Fasting blood sugar (glucose) greater than110 mg/dL
The recent research included 234 participants with metabolic syndrome that did not have diabetes (1).
Participants were followed for one year and their food intake was assessed at baseline, 6 months and 12 months by trained dietitians based on a 24-hour diet recall (1,3).
The average magnesium intake at baseline among all the participants was 287 +/- 93 mg per day, with only 23.5% meeting the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) (1). The RDA values for magnesium in adults are:
- Men 19-30 years: 400 mg per day
- Women 19-30 years: 310 mg per day
- Men 31 years and up: 420 mg per day
- Women 31 years and up: 320 mg per day
At the 6-month visit, 30.4% of participants met the RDA for magnesium and at the 12-month visit, 27.7% met the RDA for magnesium, showing only a slight improvement over baseline values (1). Most significantly, the likelihood of insulin resistance (>3.6 HOMA-IR) was 71% lower in participants who consumed the highest amounts of magnesium (385.2 mg per day), compared to those who consumed the lowest amounts of magnesium (206.5 mg per day; Odds ratio: 0.29; 95% CI 0.12, 0.72) (1). This could be because magnesium is required for the body to metabolize glucose and for the body to respond to insulin signals. Therefore, the more magnesium in the diet, the better the body can respond to glucose, thereby preventing insulin resistance (1).
In conclusion, meeting the RDA for magnesium may protect against insulin resistance. With so many Americans deficient in this essential nutrient, research suggests there is evidence as to why it is important to meet the RDA levels. A limitation of the study was the lack of collecting supplemental magnesium information, which could vary actual magnesium levels in the body (1). Future research into adequate levels of magnesium in preventing insulin resistance should still be conducted.
Source: Wang, Jinsong, et al. “Dietary magnesium intake improves insulin resistance among non-diabetic individuals with metabolic syndrome participating in a dietary trial.” Nutrients 5.10 (2013): 3910-3919.
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
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Posted November 25, 2013.
Jessica Patella, ND, is a naturopathic physician specializing in nutrition and homeopathic medicine and offers a holistic approach to health. She earned her ND from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, AZ, and is a member of the North Carolina Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Visit her website at www.awarenesswellness.com.
References:
- Wang J, et al. Dietary Magnesium Intake Improves Insulin Resistance among Non-Diabetic Individuals with Metabolic Syndrome Participating in a Dietary Trial. Nutrients 2013, 5, 3910-3939; doi:10.3390/nu5103910.
- Ford, E. S. (1999) Serum magnesium and ischaemic heart disease: findings from a national sample of US adults. Int. J. Epidemiol. 28:645-651.
- Hébert, J.R. et al. Systematic errors in middle-aged women’s estimates of energy intake: Comparing three self-report measures to total energy expenditure from doubly labeled water. Ann. Epidemiol. 2002, 12, 577–586.
