Vitamin D Supplementation Can Reduce Diabetes Risk, Study Finds

Vitamin D is known to be a vital nutrient that helps in building a good immune system and in the absorption of phosphorous and calcium from food. It also plays an important role in reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study.

The study published in the European Journal of Endocrinology earlier this month found that Vitamin D supplementation could slow the progression of diabetes in those who are at high risk of developing this illness and those who are newly diagnosed.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with several health problems, such as blindness, nerve damage and kidney failure. The number of people with this disease is rapidly increasing world-wide, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The international health body said that lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating habits and overweight are some of the causes for this chronic illness.

In the United States, more than 100 million people are living with this disease, reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency said 30.3 million people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and 84.1 million Americans are at high risk of developing it.

The study, titled Effects of 6-month vitamin D supplementation on insulin sensitivity and secretion, found that vitamin D supplementation can improve glucose metabolism in people who are newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and those who are at high risk of developing this disease.

For the study, the researchers observed 96 randomly selected people for six months. All the participants in the study were more than 25 years old and had a risk factor associated with insulin resistance.

The researchers began by testing the glucose metabolism and insulin function of each of the participants. Though only 46 percent of the participants had vitamin D deficiency at the beginning of the study, all the participants were asked to consume high dose vitamin D supplementation.

At the end of the study, the researchers measured glucose metabolism and insulin function of the participants again. They found a significant improvement in the insulin’s action in the participants' muscle tissues.

However, previous studies that focussed on the association between vitamin D deficiency and the risk of type 2 diabetes were not able to see any improvement in metabolic function. The researchers said it could be due to genetic or individual clinical factors. According to them, further studies might be required to find out more about it.

“The reason we saw improvements in glucose metabolism following vitamin D supplementation in those at high risk of diabetes, or with newly diagnosed diabetes, while other studies failed to demonstrate an effect in people with long-standing type 2 diabetes is unclear. This could be due to the fact that improvements in metabolic function are harder to detect in those with longer-term disease or that a longer treatment time is needed to see the benefits,” lead researcher Claudia Gagnon said in a statement.

“Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes are a growing public health concern and although our results are promising, further studies are required to confirm our findings, to identify whether some people may benefit more from this intervention, and to evaluate the safety of high-dose vitamin D supplementation in the long term. Until then I would suggest that current vitamin D supplementation recommendations be followed,” the researcher added.