Could vitamin D reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in patients with prediabetes? In any case, this is what a new American study suggests.
- Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes.
- Vitamin D is not synthesized by the body. It therefore comes from diet and exposure to the sun.
Vitamin D helps maintain the quality of bone and muscle tissue. It therefore helps to fight against demineralization and osteoporosis. According to a recent study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, vitamin D could also prevent the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in adults affected by prediabetes. This disorder results in a blood sugar level higher than normal, but insufficient to make a diagnosis of diabetes.
A high intake of vitamin D to prevent type 2 diabetes?
To reach this conclusion, researchers from Tufts Medical Center in Boston (United States) examined three clinical trials observing the effects of vitamin D in patients with prediabetes that could progress to type 2 diabetes. In this research, the volunteers were divided into two groups: the first took vitamin D while the second received placebos.
“In these trials (…), vitamin D reduced the risk of diabetes, but the reported risk reduction was not statistically significant in any trial because the percentages were lower than each trial was powered to detect ( …) To increase the statistical power to detect an effect, Drs Kawahara and Jorde (…) and I combined individual participant data from the three trials in a meta-analysis,” explained Dr. Anastassios G. Pittas, lead author of the study and chief of the division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Tufts Medical Center.
Prediabetes: a 15% reduction in the risk of developing the disease
In clinical trials, participants were followed for three years. In the group that received additional vitamin D, type 2 diabetes appeared in 22.7% of participants compared to 25% in the group that received placebos. According to the researchers, a higher vitamin D intake was associated with a 15% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes in adults with prediabetes.
“These results indicate a modest benefit of vitamin D in reducing the risk of diabetes in adults with prediabetes (…) However, there are still some important unknowns. Specifically, we do not know the optimal dose or formulation of vitamin D, and we don’t know if we should be aiming for a specific blood level of vitamin D to maximize benefits in this population, with little or no risk of side effects.More research is needed to answer these questions. important”however recognized Doctor Anastassios G. Pittas in a statement.
