Low Serum Magnesium and Metabolic Syndrome

Background

Drs. Fernando Guerrero-Romero and Martha Rodríguez-Morán from the Biomedical Research Unit in Durango, Mexico published this early study in Acta Diabetologica (PMID: 12486495), establishing the link between low serum magnesium and metabolic syndrome.

Study Design

Design: Cross-sectional observational study Population: Adults from Mexican population Comparison: Metabolic syndrome vs. healthy controls Measurements: Serum magnesium, fasting glucose, insulin, lipid panel, blood pressure, waist circumference

Key Findings

Parameter	MetS Group	Control Group	P value
Serum Mg (mg/dL)	1.8 ± 0.3	2.1 ± 0.2	<0.001
Hypomagnesemia rate	65.6%	5.0%	<0.001

Key finding: Two-thirds of metabolic syndrome patients had low magnesium vs. only 5% of controls.

Correlations with magnesium:

• •HOMA-IR: r = −0.42 (inverse)
• •HDL-C: r = +0.31 (positive)
• •Triglycerides: r = −0.28 (inverse)

Mechanistic Insights

Magnesium is required for:

1. •Insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity
2. •Post-receptor insulin signaling
3. •Cellular glucose uptake (GLUT4 translocation)
4. •ATP production in mitochondria

Deficiency impairs all these processes, promoting insulin resistance.

Clinical Implications

Serum magnesium should be checked in metabolic syndrome patients. Supplementation may improve insulin sensitivity, though RCTs are needed. Most Western diets are magnesium-deficient.

Metabolic Health Perspective

Magnesium optimization is an underappreciated component of metabolic health. Serum levels >2.0 mg/dL (ideally 2.0-2.4 mg/dL) support insulin sensitivity. RBC magnesium is more accurate but less available.