(19-10-11) Low Levels of Vitamin D Linked with Diabetes

A new Australian study links low levels of vitamin D with a higher risk of
diabetes.

This study comes on the heels of a finding presented at the American Diabetes
Association 2011 Scientific Sessions that showed that examined data from the
Diabetes Prevention Program which showed that participants in the upper third
of vitamin-D levels had a 26% less chance of developing diabetes compared to
the participants in the lower third.

These studies add to the growing body of research demonstrating a positive
effect of vitamin D on literally dozens of conditions ranging from cancer to
obesity.

In the Australian study, 5200 non-diabetic men and women were evaluated for
blood sugar issues using a glucose tolerance test. In addition, the researchers
tested their blood levels of vitamin D. The subjects were then followed-up for
five years.

During the five-year follow-up, 199 cases of diabetes were diagnosed. Those
who developed diabetes had lower vitamin D levels compared to those who
remained free of diabetes.

Even after adjusting for all possible confounding variables like smoking,
physical activity, hypertension, and family history of diabetes, each 25nmol/L
increment in blood levels of vitamin D was associated with a 24% reduced risk
of diabetes.

Each 25 nmol/L increment in serum vitamin D was associated with a 24% reduced
risk of diabetes. A single vitamin D capsule of 1000 IUs of vitamin D would
raise your blood levels of vitamin D by the amount needed to reduce the risk of
diabetes by 24%. Two thousand IUS- the amount I generally recommend as a daily
supplement? would reduce the risk by 48%. Not a bad return for one of the most
inexpensive, easiest-to-take supplements on the planet!

Another nice finding of this study: higher levels of vitamin D were
associated with greater levels of insulin sensitivity!

(Insulin sensitivity is the opposite of insulin resistance. In insulin
resistance, the cells stop ?listening? to insulin; insulin resistance at the
root of both metabolic syndrome and diabetes. You want your cells to be insulin
sensitive, not insulin resistant!)

Note that there are two systems of measurement for vitamin D levels in the
blood. In Europe they use the nmol/L standard used in the present study, but in
the US we mostly use ng/ml. If you have your vitamin D levels tested, make sure
to compare apples to apples. According to the vitamin D council, optimal ranges
using the US measurement of ng/ml are between 50-80.

Source: jonnybowden.com

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