Calcium, Magnesium and Type 2 Diabetes

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Data from a study at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center suggested calcium and magnesium intakes may protect against the development of type 2 diabetes in a Chinese population (Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;89(4):1059-67). Data was used from a population-based, prospective study of 64,191 women who were free of type 2 diabetes or other chronic diseases at study recruitment and were living in urban Shanghai, China. An inverse association between calcium and magnesium intakes and type 2 diabetes risk was observed. The relative risks for the lowest to the highest quintiles of calcium intake were 1.00, 0.82, 0.73, 0.67 and 0.74 (P for trend <0.001); and for magnesium they were 1.00, 0.84, 0.84, 0.79 and 0.86 (P for trend < 0.001). Milk intake was also inversely associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes.