# Magnesium Intake and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Canonical: https://nutritionizm.com/research/10-2337-dc11-0518/
Last verified: 2026-10-26
Source: Diabetes Care (2011), DOI: https://doi.org/10.2337/dc11-0518
License: USDA FoodData Central values are public domain (CC0 1.0); Nutritionizm compilation and plain-language text are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (attribution: link to Canonical URL).

## TL;DR

Studies suggest that getting more magnesium in your diet is linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

## What they did

Researchers searched the PubMed database through January 2011 to find relevant health research. They combined data from 13 prospective cohort studies. Together, these studies followed 536,318 participants and tracked 24,516 cases of type 2 diabetes.

## What they found

Higher magnesium intake was linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, with a relative risk of 0.78 (95% CI 0.73-0.84). Each 100 mg/day increase in magnesium intake was linked to a summary relative risk of 0.86 (95% CI 0.82-0.89). This link was significant in people with a BMI of 25 kg/m(2) or higher, but not in people with a BMI under 25 kg/m(2).

## Why it matters

These findings suggest that eating foods with magnesium may support everyday health. Foods such as nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains naturally provide magnesium. Studies suggest that adding more of these foods to meals is linked to helpful dietary habits.

## Limits

The abstract notes that the link was not statistically significant for people of normal weight, but it does not discuss other study limits. This is general education, not medical advice.

## Jargon explained

- **Meta-analysis**: A study method that combines results from multiple past studies to find overall trends.
- **Prospective cohort study**: A study that follows a group of people over time to see how habits affect future health.
- **Relative risk**: A comparison showing how likely a health event is in one group compared to another.

## Full citation

Jia-Yi Dong, Pengcheng Xun, Ka He, Li‐Qiang Qin (2011). Magnesium Intake and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes. *Diabetes Care*. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2337/dc11-0518