Harvard Study Links Magnesium Rich Foods and Decreased Diabetic Risk

A December 2003 study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, also performed by Harvard scientists, speculated that “higher dietary magnesium intake may reduce the risk of developing type II diabetes” because women with higher magnesium consumption tended to have greater insulin sensitivity. Decreased insulin sensitivity, also known as insulin fasting, is the immediate cause of type II diabetes.

“The primary concern here is not which group is affected the most,” Hu said. “Whether you are overweight or obese or not, you need enough magnesium.”

But while magnesium-rich foods have had a positive effect in preventing diabetes, the studies found that multivitamins and other magnesium supplements have not had a similar effect.

“The NHS study doesn’t show any supplemental effect of magnesium, only of magnesium-rich foods,” said Liu, who also contributed to the NHS study. “This suggests that there may be something else in those foods that works with magnesium to reduce diabetes risk. For now, I can only recommend foods that are rich in magnesium.”

Those foods include “whole grains, nuts, and green leafy vegetables,” according to the NHS study.
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