Association between reduced serum levels of magnesium and the presence of poor glycemic control and complications in type 1 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the association between reduced serum magnesium levels and poor glycemic control and/or complications in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: The articles were selected using the Medline/PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Scielo databases. Eligibility criteria were cross-sectional, cohort or case-control observational studies that assessed the association between reduced magnesium levels and poor glycemic control and/or complications in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Results: Nine articles were included in the systematic review and two in the meta-analysis, all articles being cross-sectional. Among the seven studies that were designed to evaluate glycemic control, five showed an association between reduced levels of magnesium and poor glycemic control, and these findings were corroborated by the meta-analysis. Among the two studies in which dyslipidemia was evaluated, both showed higher levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, and lower levels of HDL cholesterol in patients with lower levels of magnesium as compared to those with higher magnesium levels. The three studies that evaluated diabetes kidney disease and the two studies that evaluated diabetic retinopathy found divergent results.

Conclusion: There is an association between reduced levels of magnesium and poor glycemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, however, this needs further studies.

Keywords: Blood glucose; Diabetes complications; Diabetes mellitus; Magnesium deficiency; Type 1.