Food & Nutrition

Arab Journal of Food & Nutrition
119. Serum Magnesium Level in a Sample of Jordanians with
Type 2 Diabetes (2010)
Fairouz A. Al – Nobani\ University of Jordan
Supervisor: Dr. Ahmad M. Al – Faqih
Co-Supervisor: Dr. Mahmoud A. Alawi
Magnesium deficiency has a negative impact on glucose homeostasis and insulin
sensitivity in type 2 diabetic patients. Low plasma magnesium concentration is an
indicator of poor magnesium status in diabetics. The aim of this study was to evaluate
plasma magnesium concentrations in a group of Jordanian patients with type 2
diabetes compared with non – diabetic subjects.
Plasma magnesium concentration was determined in 110 non – diabetic
Jordanians (53 males and 57 females), and 114 Jordanians with type 2 diabetes (56
males and 58 females. Both groups were recruited from the outpatient diabetes clinic
at Jordan Hospital in Amman the capital of Jordan.
Diabetic patients had significantly lower plasma magnesium concentrations (1.83
0.23 mg / dL) compared with the non – diabetic subjects (2.14 0.15 mg / dL) (p <
0.001) with no significant (p > 0.05) difference between males and females.
The prevalence of low plasma concentrations (< 1.8 mg / dL) irrespective of
gender was in 40.4 % (46 / 114) of the diabetic patients, whereas no body of the non –
diabetics did suffer.
A significant negative correlation was found between plasma magnesium
concentrations and fasting plasma glucose levels (r = - 0.456, p < 0.001) in diabetic
patients only. Also, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were found to be
inversely correlated with plasma Mg concentrations (r = - 0.969, p < 0.001) in the
diabetic patients.
The plasma magnesium levels (1.76 0.22 mg / dL) of subgroup of diabetic
patients (n = 76) who had found t have poor glycemic control (HbA1c 7.0 %) were
significantly (p < 0.001) lower than the plasma magnesium levels (2.02 0.18 mg /
dL) of the diabetic patients (n = 34) with good glycemic control (HbA1c < 7.0 %). In
conclusion, low plasma magnesium levels are significantly associated with poorly
controlled diabetes in a group of Jordanians with type 2 diabetes.
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Volume 11, No. 25, 2011
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