Hypomagnesaemia is associated with diabetes: Not pre-diabetes, obesity or the metabolic syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
The mechanism for the association between diabetes and hypomagnesaemia remains uncertain. This study aimed to test whether hypomagnesaemia is present in pre-diabetes, obesity and the metabolic syndrome.


METHODS
1453 adults from randomly selected households from rural Victoria, Australia, attended for biomedical assessment. Serum magnesium concentrations, hypomagnesaemia defined using local laboratory criteria (<0.70mmol/l), and defined by the bottom quintile of serum magnesium concentrations, were compared in different diabetes pre-cursor states including metabolic syndrome using ATP III criteria.


RESULTS
The mean serum magnesium was 0.84+/-0.06mmol/l and 25 (1.7%) had a low magnesium. Mean magnesium was lower among those with known diabetes than those with new diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and normal subjects (0.79 (0.78-0.81) vs 0.83 (0.81-0.86); 0.84 (0.82-0.85); 0.84 (0.82-0.86); 0.85 (0.84-0.85)mmol/l). After adjusting for confounders, and compared with those without diabetes, hypomagnesaemia was 10.51 (1.37-80.60)-fold more common with new diabetes, 8.63 (2.20-33.90)-fold more common with known diabetes, 6.77 (1.75-26.17)-fold more common among those taking anti-hypertensive medication but with no difference to those with IGT/IFG (0.90 (0.10-8.10)).


CONCLUSIONS
Diabetes is associated with hypomagnesaemia, but not its pre-cursor states.
Simmons
David
D
Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK. dsworkster@gmail.com
Joshi
Supriya
S
Shaw
Jonathan
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008274:Magnesium / Q000097:blood*; D008275:Magnesium Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood; D011236:Prediabetic State / Q000097:blood; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood
D014527:Uric Acid; D003404:Creatinine; D008274:Magnesium