The study investigated the status of lead and selected mineral elements (copper, zinc and chromium) in type-2 diabetes mellitus patients, so as to establish the possible interactive connections of these metals with the disease and with each other in diabetic patients. Thirty-one patients (15 male and 16 female), clinically diagnosed for type-2 Diabetes mellitus at Sacred Heart Hospital, Abeokuta, Nigeria, participated in the study. Twenty-six apparently healthy individuals (14 male and 12 female) served as control group. Blood samples of all the subjects were collected after an overnight fasting for the determination of blood glucose, lead, zinc, copper and chromium. Fasting blood sugar (FBS) was determined by glucose oxidase-peroxidase assay to confirm the status of the patients and the controls while metals’ concentrations were measured with Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS). The mean FBS concentrations of the diabetic group were significantly higher (p<0.05, p<0.05 respectively) than those of the control group. Similarly, the mean blood lead levels of the diabetic male and female patients were 49.40 ± 14.36 and 46.30 ± 15.22 µg/dL respectively and significantly higher (p<0.05, p<0.05respectivelly) than those of control males and females (38.07 ± 14.00 and 35.51 ± 13.00 µg/dL respectively). Additionally, a positive relationship was observed between the concentrations of FBS and lead (r = 0.393; p<0.01). These findings in this study revealed that lead has an interactive connection with type 2 diabetes mellitus while zinc, copper and chromium have no such significant relationships with the disease.

Key words: Diabetes mellitus, lead, fasting blood sugar, trace elements.