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Magnesium Deficiency Disrupts Blood Glucose Homeostasis in a Time-of-Day-Dependent Manner
Sora Inoue1, Minato Uemura1, Yuji Ikegaya1,2,3
1Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin
|May 20, 2026
Summary
Magnesium deficiency lowers blood glucose and disrupts its daily rhythm. Supplementing with glucose shows behavioral compensation but still impairs glucose stability, highlighting magnesium's role in metabolic health.
Area of Science:
- Metabolic Physiology
- Nutritional Science
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Magnesium deficiency (MgD) impacts many physiological processes.
- Its precise effects on in vivo glucose homeostasis are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the longitudinal effects of MgD on blood glucose dynamics.
- To assess MgD's impact under normal and glucose-challenged conditions.
Main Methods:
- Continuous glucose monitoring in freely moving rats.
- Rats were fed MgD or control diets with standard water or 10% glucose solution.
- Time-series analysis using recurrence plots.
Main Results:
- MgD rats showed lower daytime glucose levels with standard water.
- With glucose solution, MgD rats compensated fluid intake but had impaired glucose fluctuation periodicity.
- MgD disrupted circadian glucose rhythmicity and pancreatic function.
Conclusions:
- Chronic MgD lowers baseline glucose, potentially increasing insulin secretion.
- MgD compromises glucose stability and circadian rhythm under metabolic challenge.
- Mg assays and continuous glucose monitoring are proposed as biomarkers for metabolic disorders.
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