Are low magnesium levels after kidney transplant linked to higher risk of diabetes?

The first study showed that older adults who received a kidney transplant and had low magnesium in their blood were more likely to develop diabetes afterward ¹. The second study found a clear pattern: the lower the magnesium level, the greater the risk — especially when levels fell below a specific threshold ^[2]. These findings suggest that magnesium may play a role in how the body handles sugar after a transplant, though we don’t yet know why.

We don’t know if low magnesium causes diabetes, or if something else — like medication, inflammation, or kidney function — affects both magnesium and blood sugar. But the pattern is strong: in every case we reviewed, people with lower magnesium were more likely to develop diabetes after their transplant.

What this means for someone who’s had a kidney transplant is this: if your doctor checks your magnesium and finds it low, it might be worth paying attention — not because it’s proven to cause diabetes, but because the pattern we’ve seen so far suggests it could be a signal worth monitoring. Keeping magnesium in a healthy range may be one part of managing your overall health after transplant, alongside other factors like diet, activity, and medication.