Originally published March 4 2013
Low vitamin D linked to insulin resistance: Study
by PF Louis
(NaturalNews) Here is a summary of the Japanese study linking low vitamin D to insulin resistance excerpted from Vitasearch.com and sourced below:
A meta-analysis involving a Japanese working population (n=494), aged 20-68 years, found a correlation between calcium levels, low vitamin D status and insulin resistance (IR). (...) Findings suggest that low vitamin D and low calcium status may be associated with IR.
Great, vitamin D works wonders and we should all have at least 30 to 50 ng/ml (nanograms per milliliter) of vitamin D in our blood register with a 25(OH)D test (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood test). So what about insulin resistance?
Insulin and insulin resistance
Insulin is a hormone secreted from the pancreas that facilitates glucose from blood sugar into cells to be used as fuel as the cells metabolize the glucose with oxygen, a process known as cellular respiration.
Insulin resistance (IR) indicates that not enough glucose from blood sugar is getting into the cells for fuel. So the cells are considered insulin resistant. Seems a bit the reverse of what it should be called, but that's the way it's perceived.
Either way, the insulin produced is insufficient or dysfunctional. Hyperglycemia or high blood sugar manifests because it is not getting converted into cellular glucose. This is considered metabolic syndrome or pre-diabetes, which leads to high blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors.
When fasting blood glucose reaches 100 mg/dl, it is called pre-diabetes, and when it reaches 126, it is called diabetes. Dl means deciliters, which breaks down to 1/10 of a liter, or 100 ml.
If the pancreas becomes to stressed by trying to produce more insulin, the pancreas can collapse from fatigue. Or the cells involved with creating insulin can be damaged from the increased insulin production load.
Diabetic 1 patients can't produce enough insulin. Thus they need to inject themselves with insulin to have enough insulin to convert blood sugar to usable glucose for cellular energy.
Pre-diabetic or metabolic syndrome folks usually need to lose weight, greatly reduce sugar intake, eliminate processed carbohydrates from their diets, and exercise more. If that morphs into full blown diabetes 2, then these regimens become more severe with the possibility of prescribed pharmaceuticals.
But all this can be turned around naturally, as Mike Adams did with himself before he became the Health Ranger. He offers a book on reversing metabolic syndrome and diabetes 2 in 25 days here: (http://www.truthpublishing.com).
If that book is no longer available, there's plenty to peruse here: (http://www.naturalnews.com/Type_2_diabetes.html).
What this Japanese study seems to imply is that one way to thwart or even reverse metabolic syndrome and diabetes 2 is increasing one's vitamin D3 intake. Don't forget, converting sunshine on exposed skin into D3 depends on having cholesterol in your skin.
So don't go fat free to lose weight. Instead, research what good fats are. Hint - they're not processed or hydrogenated. Consume those fats, especially the ones rich in omega-3 fatty acids: (http://www.naturalnews.com/035069_low_fat_diet_myths_weight_loss.html).
Most experts consider 50 ng/ml a normal vitamin D level for maintaining good health, although mainstream medicine is satisfied with 20 - 30 ng/ml. But holistic and alternative medical practitioners recommend a level of around 80 ng/ml for therapeutic purposes.
Around or above 100 ng/ml can be toxic. This is only possible with extreme vitamin D supplementing for extended periods. Vitamin D converted from exposed skin to sun or UVB (ultra-violet ray) sun beds is self-regulating to keep D3 levels from going too high.
So maybe vitamin D blood levels from 25(OH)D testing should be added to monitoring blood sugar levels. Inexpensive and easy to use kits for monitoring blood sugar are accessible at pharmacies. A lab would be necessary for the 25(OH)D testing.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/40508
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com
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