A New Dietary Approach to Reduce the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes?
- Jerry L. Nadler, MD
- From the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Virginia Health Science System and Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center (NIH DK 63609), Charlottesville, Virginia
- Address correspondence to Jerry L. Nadler, MD, University of Virginia Health System, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, P.O. Box 801405, 450 Ray C. Hunt Dr., Charlottesville, VA 22908-1405. E-mail: jln2n{at}virginia.edu
The projections for a continued rapid growth in the incidence of type 2 diabetes indicate the need of developing cost-effective approaches that can be widely employed to prevent or delay this major disorder. There is recent evidence that intensive lifestyle modification can be effective in reducing type 2 diabetes development (1). However, the role of particular micronutrients in the diet that may have a protective effect has not been well studied.
In this issue of Diabetes Care, there are two interesting prospective studies suggesting that an increased intake of magnesium (Mg) in the diet could have a protective role in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Lopez-Ridaura et al. (2) evaluated dietary intake of different nutrients every 2–4 years in 85,060 women in the Nurses Health Study and 42,872 men in the Health Professional’s Follow-up Study. The medical history and lifestyle characteristics were followed for 18 years in the women and 12 years in the men. There was a significant reduction of relative risk of type 2 diabetes development in both men and women in the highest quintiles of Mg intake. These relationships remained significant after adjusting for age, total energy intake, family history of diabetes, physical activity, alcohol intake, or other dietary components analyzed. Adjustment for BMI somewhat attenuated the relationships, but the effect of Mg remained significant. Less than 5% of the cohort was …
