Retracted: Magnesium supplementation affects metabolic status and pregnancy outcomes in gestational diabetes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Mehri Jamilian
Ahmad Esmaillzadeh
Zatollah Asemi
Zahra Heidarzadeh
Pamela J Surkan
Sanaz Benisi-Kohansal
Fereshteh Bahmani
Maryam Karamali
Fatemeh Foroozanfard
Journal: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2015)
Discipline: CLINICAL MEDICINE
Keywords: gestational diabetes; magnesium; pregnancy outcomes; pregnant women; supplementation.
Affiliations: Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran;, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran;, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran;, Food Security Research Center and Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran., Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD; and., Food Security Research Center and Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran .

Abstract:  Background: To our knowledge, prior research has not examined the effects of magnesium supplementation on metabolic status and pregnancy outcomes in maternal-child dyads affected by gestational diabetes (GDM). Objective: This study was designed to assess the effects of magnesium supplementation on metabolic status and pregnancy outcomes in magnesium-deficient pregnant women with GDM. Design: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed in 70 women with GDM. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 250 mg magnesium oxide (n = 35) or a placebo (n = 35) for 6 wk. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and after a 6-wk intervention. Results: The change in serum magnesium concentration was greater in women consuming magnesium than in the placebo group (+0.06 ± 0.3 vs. -0.1 ± 0.3 mg/dL, P = 0.02). However, after controlling for baseline magnesium concentrations, the changes in serum magnesium concentrations were not significantly different between the groups. Changes in fasting plasma glucose (-9.7 ± 10.1 vs. +1.8 ± 8.1 mg/dL, P &lt; 0.001), serum insulin concentration (-2.1 ± 6.5 vs. +5.7 ± 10.7 μIU/mL, P = 0.001), homeostasis model of assessment-estimated insulin resistance (-0.5 ± 1.3 vs. +1.4 ± 2.3, P &lt; 0.001), homeostasis model of assessment-estimated β-cell function (-4.0 ± 28.7 vs. +22.0 ± 43.8, P = 0.006), and the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (+0.004 ± 0.021 vs. -0.012 ± 0.015, P = 0.005) in supplemented women were significantly different from those in women in the placebo group. Changes in serum triglycerides (+2.1 ± 63.0 vs. +38.9 ± 37.5 mg/dL, P = 0.005), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (-432.8 ± 2521.0 vs. +783.2 ± 2470.1 ng/mL, P = 0.03), and plasma malondialdehyde concentrations (-0.5 ± 1.6 vs. +0.3 ± 1.2 μmol/L, P = 0.01) were significantly different between the supplemented women and placebo group. Magnesium supplementation resulted in a lower incidence of newborn hyperbilirubinemia (8.8% vs. 29.4%, P = 0.03) and newborn hospitalization (5.9% vs. 26.5%, P = 0.02). Conclusion: Magnesium supplementation among women with GDM had beneficial effects on metabolic status and pregnancy outcomes. This trial was registered at www.irct.ir as IRCT201503055623N39. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 There are many concerns about the integrity of 172 publications by this research group, including this one. Some of the concerns are published 1. Anaesthesia 2020;75:1683u201392, see Supplementary data. This paper is A31 2. Account Res 2020;28:149-61. 3. J Clin Epidemiol 2021;131:22-29. Journals and publishers were notified of these concerns in July 2019. 23 publications have an expression of concern. To our knowledge there has been no public response about any of the concerns. We think these publications are unreliable , 
 Retracted 8 May 2021 concerns about the validity of participant data in the study ,