Magnesium supplementation and insulin resistance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a multifactorial disease affecting the immune system and many tissues in the body. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of magnesium supplementation on insulin resistance and fasting blood sugar (FBS) of patients with RA. In this prospective uncontrolled before-after study, RA patients referring to Rheumatology clinics of Qom City from January 2020 to January 2021 were evaluated. First, the patients received the routine rheumatoid arthritis treatment including 5 mg Prednisolone and 200mg Hydroxychloroquine daily for 6 months and FBS and insulin levels were measured after. Then, they received the routine arthritis rheumatoid treatment in addition to 300 mg/day oral Magnesium sulfate for 6 months and then, FBS and insulin levels were measured. The Homeostasis Model Assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was used for determining insulin resistance. Thirty five patients with RA and the mean age of 49.83±2.58 years were enrolled. Twenty eight cases (80%) were female and 7 cases (20%) were male. The mean HOMA-IR before and after consumption of oral magnesium were 3.04±0.29 and 2.43±0.19, respectively. Statistically significant differences were found between FBS, insulin and HOMA-IR before and after consumption of oral magnesium (p<0.05). Our data suggested that magnesium supplementation reduces FBS, insulin and HOMA-IR in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, magnesium supplements may be an alternative method for prevention of type 2 diabetes in RA patients.