ReviewCureus2025
Role of Trace Elements in Diabetic Retinopathy: A Systematic Review.
Review in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- The association between magnesium and diabetic retinopathy: a cross-sectional study.BMC ophthalmology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of vision impairment worldwide and a major microvascular complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). While chronic hyperglycemia remains the principal driver of DR, growing evidence suggests that dysregulation of essential trace elements, including magnesium, zinc, manganese, chromium, selenium, and iron, may contribute to retinal microvascular injury through oxidative stress and impaired endothelial function. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, with a comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar for studies published between January 2000 and June 2024. Search terms included "diabetic retinopathy," "trace elements," "magnesium," "zinc," "manganese," "chromium," "selenium," and "iron." Eligible studies comprised observational studies (cross-sectional, case-control, cohort), randomized controlled trials, and meta-analyses reporting serum, plasma, or dietary levels of trace elements in patients with T2DM, with and without DR. Data extraction was performed independently by two reviewers with consensus resolution. A total of 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Patients with DR consistently demonstrated lower serum levels of magnesium, zinc, manganese, and chromium compared to diabetic controls without retinopathy. Selenium exhibited a U-shaped relationship, with both low and high levels associated with increased DR risk. Dysregulation of iron, particularly deficiency and evidence of iron-driven ferroptosis, was linked to retinal hypoxia, neurodegeneration, and elevated oxidative stress. These findings demonstrate that trace element imbalances are strongly associated with the risk and progression of DR. Assessment of serum trace elements may serve as a cost-effective biomarker panel for early risk stratification. However, heterogeneity across studies and the predominance of observational designs limit causal inference, underscoring the need for well-designed prospective cohorts and randomized controlled trials to determine whether targeted micronutrient supplementation can reduce DR incidence or delay progression.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.