Lack of vitamin D can lead to diabetes, study finds

Sunday, August 28, 2011 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: vitamin D, diabetes, health news

(NaturalNews) The array of undiscovered health benefits afforded by high vitamin D intake is vast thanks to several new studies linking deficiency in this important hormone to diabetes.

One study published in the journal Diabetes Care explains that a simple 25 nanomole per liter (nmol/L), or 10 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL), increase in blood levels of vitamin D results in a roughly 24 percent reduction in diabetes risk, while another study similarly reveals a correlation between high blood levels of vitamin D and reduced risk of diabetes.

Dr. Ken Sikaris and his colleague Zhong Lu, both of which are pathologists at Melbourne Pathology in Australia, tested the blood levels of 5,200 participants as part of their research. After accounting for more than ten outside risk factors that may affect outcomes, the duo found that participants with the highest blood levels of vitamin D had a significantly reduced risk of developing type-2 diabetes compared to those with the lowest levels.

"It's hard to underestimate how important this could be," said Dr. Sikaris concerning the findings, inferring that vitamin D is an essential weapon in the fight against diabetes.

In a related study, physician Anastassios Pittas from Tufts University evaluated 2,039 people with high blood sugar levels as part of her three year study, and found that every 12.5 nmol/L (5 ng/mL) increase in vitamin D levels resulted in an eight percent decreased risk of developing diabetes.

Participants with the highest third of vitamin D levels, above 75 nmol/L (30 ng/mL), were also 38 percent less likely to develop diabetes than those in the lowest third, which averaged 32 nmol/L (13 ng/mL).

"There are indications that vitamin D is of importance in glucose metabolism, and that supplementation with vitamin D may increase both insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity," writes a report at ClinicalTrials.gov in response to this and other vitamin D research.

The Vitamin D Council maintains that healthy blood levels of vitamin D fall between 125 - 200 nmol/L (50 - 80 ng/mL), which can be achieved through regular sunlight exposure and supplementation with vitamin D3. To learn more, visit:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org

Sources for this story include:

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/hea...

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/8/prweb87...