If you have Type 2 diabetes and you don’t know whether you are magnesium deficient or if you are getting enough magnesium in your diet, then keep reading. It’s been confirmed in a recent World Journal of Diabetes report that most people who have Type 2 diabetes have low magnesium, and since this mineral has a key role in blood sugar (glucose) control, it’s a good idea to understand how much you have, how much you need, and how it can help you.
Magnesium and Diabetes
Magnesium plays a role in more than 300 biochemical activities in the body, and several of those activities are associated with magnesium metabolism, insulin, and glucose. Therefore, if blood (or plasma) levels of magnesium drop too low, anyone who has diabetes may expect to experience some difficulties.For example, according to a new study appearing in the journal Diabetes, hypomagnesemia (defined as a serum level of less than 0.7 mmol/L of magnesium; see values below) “has been strongly associated with Type 2 diabetes mellitus,” and individuals with hypomagnesemia “show a more rapid disease progression and have an increased risk for diabetes complications.” It’s also been noted that older people with diabetes are more prone to hypomagnesemia, so it may be even more critical to check magnesium levels in older diabetics.
