Iraqi Journal of Pharmacy

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease with increasing worldwide prevalence. There are many studies to observe the role of minerals on the glycemic state in diabetic patients. One of the in the human se minerals is magnesium. Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body. It has a role in the action of more than 300 enzymes most of them is ATP-dependent reactions. Finally, magnesium has an effect on glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, nucleic acid synthesis, and energy production. The relationship between magnesium and DM is complex and multifactorial. There is an association between hypomagnesemia and insulin resistance by affecting phosphorylation of insulin receptors, insulin signaling and insulin action. Another consequence of hypomagnesemia is oxidative stress which is also present in the pathogenesis of DM. Objective: This work is trying to emphasize the important role of magnesium in the control of the glycemic state in diabetic patients through highlighting the studies conducted to correlate between magnesium level in the body, dietary magnesium intake, or magnesium supplementation with risk of diabetes mellitus occurrence, insulin sensitivity or glycemic control in diabetic patients. This article suggested that magnesium therapy may be beneficial in improving the clinical parameters of diabetic patients including HbA1c%, fasting serum glucose, and fasting insulin level.