the effect of magnesium and zinc on glycemic control in type 2 diabetic patients

objective: the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of zinc and magnesium supplementation on glycemic control and serum insulin in type 2 diabetic patients. materials and methods: in this randomized clinical trial 70 diabetic patients who referred to yazd diabetes center were selected. subjects received 500 mg/day magnesium oxide or 100 mg/day zinc sulfate randomly for 8 weeks. at the start and end of treatment period fasting blood sugar (fbs), 2 hour postprandial glucose (2-hpp), glycated hemoglobin (hba1c) and fasting insulin level were measured. results: magnesium and zinc supplementation for 8 weeks cause significantly decrease in hba1c (p=0.005, p=0.001).no significantly difference was observed after trial between magnesium and zinc groups in fbs (42.08 ±7.43 vs. 35.15 ± 6.52) (p=0.97), hba1c (1.22±0.21 vs. 1.77±0.32) (p=0.07) and fasting serum insulin (39.81 ±7.03 vs.36.68±6.81) (p=0.83) respectively. conclusion: results of this study showed that 500 mg/day magnesium oxide or 100 mg/day zinc sulfate administration for 8 weeks could improve hba1c in type 2 diabetic patients and this effect is same in two groups. but more studies for evaluating effect of magnesium and zinc supplementation on type 2 diabetic patients were suggested.