The Association between Serum Glucose and Serum Lead and Selected Trace Elements in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder affecting carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism. A number of studies have reported an association between DM and alterations in the metabolism of several trace minerals. In this study, serum zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), manganese(Mn), magnesium (Mg), and lead (Pb) were estimated in 55 diabetic patients attending the clinic of King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), and the results were compared with those of apparently healthy, nondiabetic volunteers of comparable age and social status. The serum glucose level of diabetic subjects (10.21 ± 3.56 mmol L-1) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the value obtained for the nondiabetic subjects (4.23 ± 0.15 mmol L-1). The mean serum levels of Zn (96.25 ± 24.32 g/dl), Cr (4.13 ± 0.52 g/dl), Mn (3.37 ± 0.38 g/dl), and Mg (17.76 ± 0.96 g/dl) were significantly (p < 0.05) lowered in diabetic subjects. The mean serum Pb level of diabetic patients was (17.38 ± 5.06 g/dl) and significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of control subjects. In the present study, the age of the diabetic patients did not show any significant correlation with serum glucose (r = 0.124). The serum levels of glucose were found negatively correlated with serum levels of Zn, Cr, Mn, and Mg of diabetic subjects. A positive relationship was observed between concentrations of serum glucose and Pb (r = 0.438, p < 0.01). The low serum levels of Zn, Cr, Mn, and Mg in diabetic patients compared to that of control subjects may be due to the poor glycemic control.