[Diabetes mellitus and magnesium]

Patients with diabetes mellitus are often magnesium (Mg) deficient, expressed by hypomagnesemia. Mg deficiency decreases insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion. Moreover Mg deficiency is inherently related to the pathogenesis and the development of not only diabetic microangiopathy but also life style-related diseases, such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Generally, modern people tend to live in the state of chronic deficiency of dietary Mg. There is a possibility that one of the major factors contributing to the drastic increase of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Japan after the World War II is remarkable changes of dietary life style, namely, drastic decreased intake of grains such as barely or cereals rich in Mg. This implies an association between the volume of dietary Mg intake and the onset of type 2 diabetes, raising expectations in the near future for clinical trials that would prove the clinical efficacy of Mg supplementation therapy.