Oral magnesium supplementation improves insulin sensitivity in non-diabetic subjects with insulin resistance. A double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial.
Although hypomagnesemia reduces insulin sensitivity, benefits of magnesium supplementation to non-diabetic insulin resistant subjects has not been established. Our purpose was to determine whether oral magnesium supplementation with magnesium chloride (MgCl2) 2.5 g daily modify insulin sensitivity in non-diabetic subjects.



This study was a 3 months randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Apparently healthy subjects were eligible to participate if they had insulin resistance (HOMA-IR index equal or greater than 3.0) and hypomagnesemia (Serum magnesium levels equal or lower than 0.74 mmol/l). Subjects were randomized to receive either, MgCl2 2.5 g daily or placebo by 3-months.



At baseline there were not significant anthropometric or laboratory differences between both groups. At ending of the study, magnesium-supplemented subjects significantly increased their serum magnesium levels (0.61 +/- 0.08 to 0.81 +/- 0.08 mmol/l, p<0.0001) and reduced HOMA-IR index (4.6 +/- 2.8 to 2.6 +/- 1.1, p<0.0001), whereas control subjects did not (0.62 +/- 0.08 to 0.61 +/- 0.08 mmol/l, p=0.063 and 5.2 +/- 1.9 to 5.3 +/- 2.9, p=0.087).



Oral magnesium supplementation improves insulin sensitivity in hypomagnesemic non-diabetic subjects. Clinical implications of this finding have to be established.
Guerrero-Romero
F
F
Medical Research Unit in Clinical Epidemiology of the Mexican Social Security Institute, and Research Group on Diabetes and Chronic Illnesses, FACP Siqueiros 225 esq./Castañeda, 34000 Durango, Dgo., Mexico. guerrero_romero@hotmail.com
Tamez-Perez
H E
HE
González-González
G
G
Salinas-Martínez
A M
AM
Montes-Villarreal
J
J
Treviño-Ortiz
J H
JH
Rodríguez-Morán
M
M
D000284:Administration, Oral; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D015636:Magnesium Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010919:Placebos; D012016:Reference Values
D010919:Placebos; D015636:Magnesium Chloride