Vitamin D Supplements May Not Prevent the Development of Type 2 Diabetes After All: New Study

Vitamin D has long been thought to suppress the development of type 2 diabetes based on previous research.

However, researchers in Japan revealed their results, which showed inconsistence with such a notion, as they have discovered vitamin D supplements have no significant effect when it comes to preventing a person from acquiring type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, with a growing number of people diagnosed with pre-diabetes, a borderline condition between diabetes and non-diabetes.

While there is no cure yet for type 2 diabetes, the chronic medical condition involving a faulty insulin balance can be managed through medication and a healthy lifestyle.

Type 2 Diabetes Clinical Trial

(Photo : Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images)

In a new paper published in the journal BMJ on Wednesday, May 25, medical researchers during a clinical trial concluded there is "no clinically meaningful effect" between vitamin D supplements and type 2 diabetes development.

The study attempted to assess whether vitamin D known as eldecalcitol can reduce the development of the disease among adults with damaged glucose tolerance.

The research design is based on a double-blinded, multicenter, placebo, and randomized controlled trial.

The research team gathered their data in three hospitals in Japan between June 2013 and August 2019.

The study's participants had an age range of between 30 and 78 years old with impaired glucose tolerance, an elevated blood glucose level, or the infamous prediabetes stage.

The study was conducted by researchers from various health and education institutions in Japan, including the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Shin Komonji Hospital, International University Health and Welfare Clinic, National Cancer Center EPOC, Ritsumeikan University, and Radiation Effects Association.

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Vitamin D Supplements Impact

Prior to arriving at their conclusions, the Japan-based researchers enrolled 1,256 Japanese adults from the said hospitals, including 571 (45.5%) women and 742 (59.1%) people who had a family history of type 2 diabetes.

The participants were divided into two groups: the vitamin D and placebo groups.

The vitamin D group consisted of 630 participants who were administered a daily dose of eldecalcitol.

The placebo group consisted of 626 participants who were given a placebo version of the vitamin D supplement.

Both groups were assessed every three months over a three-year follow-up period.

While the result suggested eldecalcitol did not decrease the incidence of diabetes for the group with pre-diabetes, the researchers suggest that vitamin D supplement still has a potential benefit for people with insufficient insulin secretion.

Diabetes and Cases

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates over 37 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes, and around 90% to 95% of them are suffering from type 2 diabetes across the United States.

The cells of a person with a medical condition do not respond normally to insulin, leading to insulin resistance.

Such a condition makes the pancreas produce more insulin for the cells to respond, resulting in high blood sugar and causing damage to the body, leading to other health problems like vision loss, heart disease, and kidney disease.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 422 million people have diabetes worldwide, the majority of which are living in middle- and low-income countries, with around 1.5 million deaths attributed to the disease each year.

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