# Magnesium Intake, Quality of Carbohydrates, and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Results From Three U.S. Cohorts
Canonical: https://nutritionizm.com/research/10-2337-dc17-1143/
Last verified: 2026-10-26
Source: Diabetes Care (2017), DOI: https://doi.org/10.2337/dc17-1143
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 15% lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

## What they did

Researchers tracked three groups of health workers over 28 years. The groups included 69,176 people in the first study, 91,471 in the second, and 42,096 in the third. Participants answered food surveys every 4 years. The team recorded 17,130 new cases of type 2 diabetes.

## What they found

People with the highest magnesium intake had a 15% lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared with those with the lowest intake. The hazard ratio for the highest intake group compared to the lowest was 0.85. The link was stronger in people who ate low amounts of cereal fiber or foods with a high glycemic index.

## Why it matters

Studies suggest that choosing foods with more magnesium may help support healthy blood sugar levels. This link may be especially helpful for people who eat fewer fiber-rich grains.

## Limits

The abstract does not discuss study limits. This is general education, not medical advice.

## Jargon explained

- **Glycemic index**: A score that rates how quickly a food raises blood sugar levels.
- **Cereal fiber**: The rough, indigestible plant parts found in grain foods like oats, wheat, and barley.
- **Hazard ratio**: A number researchers use to compare how likely an event is to happen in one group compared to another.

## Full citation

Adela Hruby, Marta Guasch‐Ferré, Frank B. Hu, JoAnn E. Manson, Walter Churchill Willett, Nicola Mary McKeown, Frank B. Hu (2017). Magnesium Intake, Quality of Carbohydrates, and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Results From Three U.S. Cohorts. *Diabetes Care*. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2337/dc17-1143