Magnesium Intake May Reduce Diabetes Risk ..

                                                  And that's a big "may." So far, all we know for sure is that people who consumed the most magnesium in food and from supplements during an ongoing investigation had half the risk of developing diabetes over the next 20 years as those whose magnesium intake was lowest. The study looked at diabetes risk and magnesium intake among nearly 4,500 people between the ages of 18 and 30, none of whom had diabetes when the investigation began. Over the next 20 years, 330 of the participants developed diabetes. When the researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill looked at their subjects' magnesium consumption, they found that those with the highest intake - an average of about 200 mg for every 1,000 calories consumed - were 47 percent less likely to have developed diabetes than those who consumed about only 100 mg of magnesium per 1,000 calories. More research will be needed to determine whether magnesium or some other factor really was responsible for the difference. Good food sources of magnesium include whole grains, leafy green vegetables, almonds, cashews and other nuts, avocados, beans, soybeans and halibut. The study was published on line by Diabetes Care on August 31, 2010.