Association of Serum Magnesium with Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes among Adults in China

Magnesium is an essential mineral for the human body and a cofactor or activator for more than 300 enzymatic reactions, including blood glucose control and insulin release. Diabetes is a well-known global burden of disease with increasing global prevalence. In China, the prevalence of diabetes in adults is higher than the global average. Evidence shows that magnesium is a predictor of insulin resistance and diabetes. However, the majority of studies focus on dietary magnesium instead of serum magnesium concentration. We study the correlation of serum magnesium levels with insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. In this prospective cohort study, we included 5044 participants aged 18 years and older without insulin resistance (IR) and diabetes at the baseline from China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). A fasting blood sample was taken for the measurement of both types of magnesium, fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and fasting insulin. The homeostatic model (HOMA-IR) was calculated. Demographic characteristics of participants, and risk factors such as intensity of physical activities, smoking status, drinking habit, and anthropometric information were recorded. IR was defined as HOMA-IR ≥ 2.5, and Type 2 diabetes mellitus was defined as fasting plasma glucose ≥ 7.0 mmol/L or HbA1c ≥ 6.5%, or a self-reported diagnosis or treatment of diabetes. A total of 1331 incident insulin resistance events and 429 incident diabetic events were recorded during an average follow-up of 5.8 years. The serum magnesium concentration was categorized into quintiles. After adjusting for relevant covariates, the third quintile of serum magnesium (0.89–0.93 mmol/L) was correlated with 29% lower risk of incident insulin resistance (hazard ratio = 0.71, 95% CI 0.58, 0.86) and with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for insulin resistance were compared with the lowest quintile of serum magnesium (<0.85). We found similar results when evaluating serum magnesium as a continuous measure. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) curves showed a nonlinear dose–response correlation in both serum magnesium levels and insulin resistance, and in serum magnesium levels and Type 2 diabetes. Lower serum magnesium concentration was associated with a higher risk of insulin resistance and diabetes.