Metals are involved in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

By means of a systemic stochastic analysis, blood serum calcium and magnesi um have been found as factors directly involved in insulin-dependent diabet es mellitus (DM), whereas selenium and zinc, through their interaction with calcium or magnesium, respectively have been shown to play a role of indir ect factors of this pathology. All of these interactions (significant at p< 0.05) are negative, as evidenced by partial correlation coefficients: rho(I D-Ca)=-0.53, rho(ID-Mg)=-0.58, rho(Ca-Se)=-0.52, rho(Mg-Zn)=-0.39, where ID is a binary index of the occurrence of DM. Consequently,the Ca and Mg conc entrations in serum are inversely proportional to the occurrence of DM. A D M forecast equation in the form of a multiple regression of ID on the Ca an d Mg concentrations has been proposed. Catalase has been found to participa te in positive interactions with selenium and zinc: rho(Catalase-Se)=0.43, rho(Catalase-Zn)=0.37 Following the interactions discovered, possible causa tive and consecutive mechanisms involving the metals connected with DM have been considered.