A novel study has found that vitamin D supplements diminished risk factors for Type 2 diabetes by improving the functions of insulin producing cells in pre-diabetic people. Type 2 diabetes is the most widespread form of the disease, affecting millions of people worldwide.
The condition is typified by high levels of blood sugar caused due to the body’s poor reaction to insulin, a chemical that removes sugar from the bloodstream and stores it in the liver and muscles. Insulin is produced by beta-cells in the pancreas.
In order to analyze if taking vitamin D supplement would improve the ability to handle blood sugar in people researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle, gave ninety-two pre-diabetic adults either supplements of vitamin D3, calcium supplements, both or placebos. After four moth duration blood samples of study participants were taken to test several known diabetes risk factors.
The procedures included hemoglobin A1C, a marker of blood-sugar levels over time, and beta-cell function, as reflected by how much insulin is being released and how well the body responds to it. In the beginning the participants were measured pre-diabetic if they were overweight and having blood sugar above than normal but not high enough to be categorized as diabetic.
It was found that function of beta-cell in pre-diabetic adults was significantly increased by vitamin D. The participants in vitamin D group also had slightly more favorable levels of hemoglobin A1C. Calcium had no effect on function of beta-cell either alone or tighter with vitamin D.
According to Dr. Ian De Boer, a nephrologist from the University of Washington in Seattle, the results do not necessarily specify that vitamin D will reduce the probability of diabetes, since the study just measures blood test results. However, the important aspect is that supplementation affects biology. Vitamin D improved beta-cell function between fifteen and thirty percent.
The earlier studies have looked at the link between vitamin D and diabetes, with mixed results. Some studies have shown that people with low levels of vitamin D may be at a higher risk for diabetes, but most have been unable to exhibit that vitamin D supplementation can help prevent diabetes.