Diabetes Update

Magnesium reduces chances for, probiotics help manage, type 2 diabetes

Magnesium preventive effects

Magnesium is a mineral that plays a role in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body including glucose control. In this study, doctors reviewed 26 articles reporting on long-term magnesium studies covering 1.2 million men and women. Participants did not have diabetes at entry, but some were more likely to develop it. Doctors followed up for an average of 11 years, measuring magnesium in the diet and through supplements.

Dividing participants into low- and high-magnesium groups, those who got the most magnesium were 22 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes vs. low magnesium. For each 100 mg increase in daily magnesium, chances for diabetes declined by 6 percent.

In a subgroup of 1,168 participants with diabetes or with higher chances of developing it, the high-magnesium group saw fasting glucose and insulin levels decline, insulin resistance and triglycerides decrease, HDL, the good cholesterol, increase, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure decline.

Reference: Diabetes Metabolism Research and Reviews; November, 2019, dmrr.3243, Published Online

Probiotics improve glycemic control

Earlier studies found that increasing the level of beneficial bacteria in the gut can improve how the body responds to insulin. In this review of nine placebo-controlled probiotics trials, adults with type 2 diabetes who took a multi-strain probiotic including lactobacillus acidophilus, lactobacillus bulgaricus, bifidobacterium lactis, and streptococcus thermophiles, at doses ranging from 7 billion to 100 billion colony-forming units per day, saw improved glycemic control after six to 12 weeks.

Discussing the findings, doctors said further studies should help determine the role and optimal dose of probiotics for balancing the microbiome.

Reference: Diabetes Metabolism Research and Reviews; August, 2019, dmrr.3213, Published Online