Dietary magnesium intake and the risk of diabetes in the Japanese community: results from the Takayama study

• Published in: European journal of nutrition 2017-03, Vol.56 (2), p.767-774
• Main Authors: Konishi, Kie, Wada, Keiko, Tamura, Takashi, Tsuji, Michiko, Kawachi, Toshiaki, Nagata, Chisato
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Alcohol Drinking - adverse effects; Alcohol Drinking - ethnology; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Cohort Studies; Confounding Factors (Epidemiology); Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - ethnology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - prevention & control; Diet, High-Fat - adverse effects; Diet, High-Fat - ethnology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Glycemic Index - ethnology; Healthy Diet - ethnology; Humans; Incidence; Japan - epidemiology; Magnesium - administration & dosage; Magnesium - therapeutic use; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrition; Original Contribution; Patient Compliance - ethnology; Proportional Hazards Models; Prospective Studies; Self Report; Sex Factors; Urban Health - ethnology
• ISSN: 1436-6207; 1436-6215
• DOI: 10.1007/s00394-015-1122-8

Purpose Several experimental studies showed that magnesium intake improved insulin resistance and glucose uptake in diabetes patients. However, epidemiological studies on the association between magnesium intake and diabetes risk have yielded inconsistent results. We investigated whether magnesium intake is related to the risk of developing diabetes in a population-based cohort study in Japan. Methods Study subjects were participants in the Takayama study. A total of 13,525 residents in Takayama City, Japan, responded to a self-administered questionnaire in 1992 and to a follow-up questionnaire seeking information about diabetes in 2002. Magnesium and other nutrient intakes were estimated from a validated food frequency questionnaire administered at the baseline. Results During a follow-up of 10 years, 438 subjects reported diabetes newly diagnosed by physician. Compared with women in the low quartile of magnesium intake, women in the high quartile were at a significantly reduced risk of diabetes (HR 0.50; 95 % CI 0.30–0.84; P -trend 0.005) after adjustments for covariates. In men, there was no association between magnesium intake and the risk of diabetes. Conclusion These results suggest that diets with a high intake of magnesium may decrease the risk of diabetes in women.