Micronutrient deficiency common among those with type 2 diabetes

Key takeaways:

• Pooled data showed a higher prevalence of micronutrient deficiency among women with type 2 diabetes.
• Vitamin D represented the most common micronutrient deficiency, followed by magnesium.

Micronutrient deficiencies commonly occur in individuals with type 2 diabetes, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health.

Women had the greatest risk for these deficiencies, whereas the results “[highlight] the link between the hidden hunger with micronutrients and globally rising public health problem of diabetes,” the researchers wrote.

According to Daya Krishan Mangal, MD, an adjunct professor at IIHMR University in India, and colleagues, certain micronutrient deficiencies tied to insulin action “may act as catalysts in the pathways, leading to several diseases” like type 2 diabetes.

However, inconsistency in the reported global prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies among people with type 2 diabetes “poses a serious challenge for physicians and policymakers in establishing nutritional recommendations for diabetes management,” they wrote.

Mangal and colleagues aimed to expand research in this area by assessing 132 studies published between 1998 to 2023 that included 52,501 participants from several databases.

They reported a pooled prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies, such as minerals, electrolytes or vitamins, of 45.3% (95% CI, 40.35%-50.3%) among patients with type 2 diabetes.

This pooled prevalence appeared higher in women with type 2 diabetes (48.62%; 95% CI, 42.55%-54.7%) than in men (42.53%; 95% CI, 36.34%-48.72%).

Pooled prevalence varied across WHO regions, with it being the highest in the Americas (54.04%; 95% CI, 35.03%-72.48%) from 1998 to 2023.

Meanwhile, researchers noted individuals with diabetic complications had a micronutrient deficiency rate of 40% (95% CI, 29.38%-50.28%).

Vitamin D was the most common micronutrient deficiency at 60.45% (95% CI, 55%-65%), followed by:

• magnesium (41.95%; 95% CI, 27%-56%);
• iron (27.81%; 95% CI, 7%-55%); and
• vitamin B12 (22.01%; 95% CI, 16.5%-27%).

Mangal and colleagues additionally reported a higher vitamin B12 deficiency among people taking metformin (28.72%; 95% CI, 21.08%-36.37%).

A lack of valid population-based studies that examined micronutrient deficiencies left the researchers unable to compare type 2 diabetes patients with the general population.

Most of the studies analyzed were also hospital-based, cross-sectional “and were inevitably biased,” they wrote.

Mangal and colleagues concluded their analysis still indicated a high prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in people with type 2 diabetes globally and “would necessitate the attention of physicians and policymakers to explore micronutrient supplementation’s role in preventing comorbidity and complications, and disease management.”

References:

• Lack of essential vitamins and minerals common in people with type 2 diabetes. Available at: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1071644. Published Jan. 28, 2025. Accessed Jan. 29, 2025.
• Mangal D, et al. BMJ Nutr Prev Health. 2025;doi:10.1136/bmjnph-2024-000950.