Diabetes has been associated with a vitamin D deficiency. The role of vitamin D in preserving the regular release of insulin by the pancreatic beta cells is summarized in this review. Insulin resistance starts to develop when diabetes first appears. By releasing more insulin, the beta-cells can overcome this resistance and avoid hyperglycemia.
According to research by Despoina Manousaki from the CHU Sainte Justine and the University of Montreal, Canada, and colleagues published in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine, genetically determined vitamin D levels do not significantly affect the risk of type 1 diabetes in Europeans.
It was investigated in a prospective, nonblinded, and nonrandomized controlled trial whether vitamin D supplementation would enhance glycemic control in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus who are vitamin D deficient.
The positive association between vitamin D and diabetes has been demonstrated by studies. This vitamin is crucial for the body’s ability to produce insulin. The regulation of glucose, which further transfers energy to the blood cells, depends on insulin. While vitamin D deficiency can result in a number of problems, its presence in the body has many positive effects. According to studies, a vitamin D deficiency has been linked to both the onset and development of diabetes mellitus.
Our findings do not support a large effect of vitamin D levels on type 1 diabetes, but there may be smaller effects which we could not detect. Until further evidence from large RCTs, we cannot suggest the use of vitamin D supplements as a strategy to prevent type 1 diabetes in individuals at risk, for instance siblings or offspring of people with type 1 diabetes.
Dr Manousaki
Type 1 diabetes is a relatively common autoimmune disease that inflicts substantial lifelong illness and significant economic burden. Its incidence is increasing worldwide, and there are no known interventions that can be used to prevent the disease. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with type 1 diabetes in observational studies, but evidence of a causal effect from randomized controlled trials is lacking.
In the new study, the researchers tested whether type 1 diabetes risk is increased by genetically low vitamin D levels using a Mendelian randomization design. Mendelian randomization is a technique for examining the causal relationship between an exposure and a disease by using measured variation in genes associated with the disease. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on vitamin D and type 1 diabetes included 9,358 cases and 15,705 controls in the two-sample Mendelian randomization study.
The findings contradict a significant relationship between vitamin D status and the risk of developing type 1 diabetes (odds ratio: 1.09, 95% confidence interval: 0.86-1.40, p=0.48). Smaller effects might exist, though, and non-European populations might not be able to use the findings. The findings imply that confounding variables like latitude and sunlight exposure may have contributed to the prior epidemiological associations between vitamin D and type 1 diabetes.
According to Dr. Manousaki: “Our findings do not support a large effect of vitamin D levels on type 1 diabetes, but there may be smaller effects which we could not detect. Until further evidence from large RCTs, we cannot suggest the use of vitamin D supplements as a strategy to prevent type 1 diabetes in individuals at risk, for instance siblings or offspring of people with type 1 diabetes.”
In patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus who were vitamin D-replete, there was evidence that vitamin D supplementation had an impact on glycemic control. To determine whether these results are applicable, more research is required.
While getting enough vitamin D from the sun is the best way to do it every day, there are other supplements that are best taken under a doctor’s guidance. Good sources of vitamin D in food include eggs, fish, powdered milk, fortified cereals, nuts, and more.
