Aside from not getting enough magnesium, other risk factors that may lead to Type 2 diabetes include living a sedentary lifestyle, being obese or overweight, and having other existing health conditions, such as hypertension. It is possible to either help treat or prevent Type 2 diabetes by making healthier lifestyle changes and by eating certain foods or taking certain supplements that can increase your body’s sensitivity to insulin.
How magnesium can lower your risk of Type 2 diabetes
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body, which also plays key roles in your overall brain and body health. If you don't get enough magnesium in your body, your health will begin to suffer. Without enough of it, you can have an increased risk of developing all sort of health problems, including coronary heart disease, sudden cardiac death, and Type 2 diabetes. (Related: The importance of magnesium in the prevention and treatment of Type 2 diabetes.)
Researchers have found that supplementing with magnesium can improve your body's sensitivity to insulin, while simultaneously reducing its resistance to insulin. It can even improve the levels of plasma fasting-glucose in people both with and without diabetes. Since the insulin can more effectively regulate your blood sugar, this decreases your overall risk of diabetes. According to research, high magnesium intake was found to be linked to a 23 percent reduction in the risk of developing diabetes compared to low magnesium intake. In one study, researchers observed 4,000 participants over the course of 20 years. They found that the participant who had the highest intake of magnesium were 47 percent less likely to develop diabetes.
Other health benefits of magnesium
Magnesium can provide so many health benefits that maintaining healthy levels of this essential mineral in your body can go a long way in improving a number of health conditions. Here are some of the health benefits you can receive when you consume regular doses of magnesium:
- Magnesium promotes heart health. A deficiency in magnesium can increase your risk of sudden cardiac death. According to a study that was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, a link was found between higher magnesium intake and a reduced risk of coronary heart disease and sudden cardiac death. Additionally, magnesium can help lower levels of high blood pressure in people with elevated blood pressure levels.
- Magnesium can help fight depression. Since magnesium plays an important role in your mood and brain function, inadequate levels of magnesium may lead to an increased risk of depression. While more research may still be required to verify this, many experts believe that low levels of magnesium in a typical modern food diet may cause cases of depression and mental illness.
- Magnesium can reduce inflammation. Magnesium can provide anti-inflammatory benefits to your body. Alternatively, a low intake of magnesium has been linked to chronic inflammation.
Learn more about the treatment and prevention of diabetes by going to DiabetesScienceNews.com.
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