Status of serum magnesium in type 2 diabetes mellitus with particular reference to serum triacylglycerol levels.

Magnesium (Mg) is the fourth most abundant cation in the body and the second most common intracellular cation. The association between hypomagnesemia and insulin resistance (IR) in diabetes mellitus has been documented earlier. However, we wanted to study whether the extracellular status of magnesium (Mg) could be a biochemical mediator between hypertriacylglycerolemia and diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE

To find out the probable association among HbA1c, triacylglycerol (TG) and magnesium levels - a predictor of vascular complications in T(2)DM.

METHODS

Thirty patients who had attended the diabetic clinics during the period of this study were included. All the samples were analysed for glucose, TG, Mg, and HbA1c. For statistical analysis, SPSS 17 package was used.

RESULTS

Serum TG (236.67*, 195.06) and HbA1C (9.97*, 8.57) levels were independently compared between the two groups and were significantly high in group A subjects (Mg<1.2mg/dl) as compared to group B subjects (Mg>1.2mg/dl) (*p-value<0.05), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Hypertriacylglycerolemia was pronounced in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with accompanying hypomagnesemia. This compared well with that of the glycemic control. Low Mg levels, high TG levels in association with enhanced HbA1c levels could thus serve as a reliable biochemical indicator of insulin status and action without resorting to the usage of criteria for insulin sensitivity and resistance.