title: The relationship between serum magnesium levels with childhood obesity and insulin resistance: a review of the literature.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Magnesium, the second most abundant intracellular cation, plays a major role in regulating insulin effect and insulin mediated glucose uptake. It has been shown that serum magnesium levels were negatively correlated with HOMA-IR (homeostasis model of insulin resistance) index.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between serum magnesium levels with obesity and insulin resistance in childhood.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and three children and adolescents (117 obese children and 86 controls) were included. Obese cases were also subgrouped according to the presence or absence of insulin resistance (IR) as "IR (+) obese" and "IR (-) obese", respectively. Serum glucose, insulin and magnesium levels were measured after a 12-h fasting at 8-8.30 a.m. We assessed insulin sensitivity by using HOMA-IR index as a surrogate marker of insulin resistance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum levels of magnesium were significantly lower in the IR (+) obese group than controls (p = 0.014). At the same time, there was a positive correlation between serum magnesium levels and body mass index-standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) (r = -0.28, p = 0.03) in the IR (-) obese group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low serum magnesium levels may contribute to the development of insulin resistance in obese children.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Fatih University, Ankara, Turkey. celiknurullah@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Nurullah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Celik
authors.forename: Nesibe
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Andiran
authors.forename: Ayse Esra
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D008274:Magnesium / Q000097:blood*; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D008274:Magnesium