ORAL MAGNESIUM SUPPLEMENTATION IMPROVES INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND SERUM LIPID PROFILE IN PATIENTS WITH MILD HYPERTENSION: PP.23.436:

Objective: To investigate the effect of oral magnesium supplementation on insulin sensitivity (IS) and serum lipids in patients with mild hypertension. Design and Methods: A total of 48 patients with mild uncomplicated hypertension participated in the study. Among them, 24 subjects were assigned to 600 mg of pidolate magnesium daily in addition to lifestyle recommendations for a 12–week period and another 24 age- and sex-matched controls were only given lifestyle recommendations. At baseline and study-end (12 weeks) blood sampling for determination of fasting glucose and insulin levels, serum lipids and other standard laboratory tests, as well as an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) for estimation of IS indices were performed in all study subjects. Results: In the group of magnesium supplementation the OGTT-derived IS indices of Stumvoll, Matsuda and Cedercholm were significantly increased between baseline and study-end, whereas Homeostasis Model Assessment-IR index and fasting insulin levels were significantly decreased. In contrast, none of these parameters were changed during follow-up in the control group. Significant reductions in total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels along with a parallel significant increase in HDL-cholesterol levels were evident at study-end in the intervention group, but not in the control group. Conclusion: The present study suggests that oral magnesium supplementation improves IS and lipid profile in patients with mild hypertension. These potential beneficial effects of magnesium on associated metabolic factors could be helpful for patients with hypertension in terms of overall cardiovascular risk reduction.