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Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome in Studies
HealthDay News via Yahoo! ^ | June 20, 2010 | NIH

Posted on 06/27/2010 6:58:30 PM PDT by CutePuppy

A pair of new studies has uncovered evidence that low levels of vitamin D could lead to poor blood sugar control among diabetics and increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome among seniors.

.....

More than 90 percent of the patients, who ranged in age from 36 to 89, had either vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency, the authors found, despite the fact that they all had had routine primary care visits before their specialty visit.

Just about 6 percent of the patients were taking a vitamin D supplement at the time of their visit, the research team noted, and those who had lower vitamin D levels were also more likely to have higher average blood sugar levels.

"This finding supports an active role of vitamin D in the development of type 2 diabetes," study co-author Dr. Esther Krug, an assistant professor of medicine, said in a news release from the Endocrine Society.

"Since primary care providers diagnose and treat most patients with type 2 diabetes, screening and vitamin D supplementation as part of routine primary care may improve health outcomes of this highly prevalent condition," Krug added.

A second study involving nearly 1,300 white Dutch men and women over the age of 65 found almost half were vitamin D-deficient, while 37 percent had metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is a grouping of health risk factors, including high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, abnormal cholesterol levels and high blood sugar.

"Because the metabolic syndrome increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, an adequate vitamin D level in the body might be important in the prevention of these diseases," .....

Regardless of gender, those with insufficient amounts of vitamin D in their blood were more likely to have the syndrome than those with sufficient amounts of vitamin D, Eekhoff and her colleagues found.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: diabetes; health; lactose; lactoseintolerance; medicine; metabolicsyndrome; vitamind; vitamind3; vitamins; vitd
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1 posted on 06/27/2010 6:58:38 PM PDT by CutePuppy
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To: decimon; neverdem
Additional information on the subject is from Medical News Today article

Benefit Of Vitamin D In Diabetes And Other Chronic Diseases

13 Jan 2009   

Vitamin D is quickly becoming the "it" nutrient with health benefits for diseases, including cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease and now diabetes.

A recent review article published by researchers from Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing concluded that adequate intake of vitamin D may prevent or delay the onset of diabetes and reduce complications for those who have already been diagnosed. These findings appeared in the latest issue of Diabetes Educator.

"Vitamin D has widespread benefits for our health and certain chronic diseases in particular," said Sue Penckofer, Ph.D., R.N., study co-author and professor, Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. "This article further substantiates the role of this nutrient in the prevention and management of glucose intolerance and diabetes."

Many of the 23 million Americans with diabetes have low vitamin D levels. Evidence suggests that vitamin D plays an integral role in insulin sensitivity and secretion. Vitamin D deficiency results in part from poor nutrition, which is one of the most challenging issues for people with diabetes. Another culprit is reduced exposure to sunlight, which is common during cold weather months when days are shorter and more time is spent indoors.

One study examined for this review article evaluated 3,000 people with type 1 diabetes and found a decreased risk in disease for people who took vitamin D supplements. Observational studies of people with type 2 diabetes also revealed that supplementation may be important in the prevention of this disease.

"Management of vitamin D deficiency may be a simple and cost-effective method to improve blood sugar control and prevent the serious complications associated with diabetes," said Joanne Kouba, Ph.D., R.D., L.D.N., study co-author and clinical assistant professor of dietetics, Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.

Diet alone may not be sufficient to manage vitamin D levels. A combination of adequate dietary intake of vitamin D, exposure to sunlight, and treatment with vitamin D2 or D3 supplements can decrease the risk of diabetes and related health concerns. The preferred range in the body is 30 - 60 ng/mL of 25(OH) vitamin D.

"People at risk for diabetes should be screened for low vitamin D levels," said Mary Ann Emanuele, M.D., F.A.C.P., study co-author and professor of medicine, division of endocrinology and metabolism, Loyola University Health System. "This will allow health care professionals to identify a nutrient deficiency early on and intervene to improve the long term health of these individuals."

Vitamin D deficiency also may be associated with hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, hypertension and heart disease. In fact, Penckofer recently published another study in Circulation that reported on the role of chronic vitamin D deficiency in heart disease. The Circulation study authors included Glen W. Sizemore, MD, emeritus professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, and Diane E. Wallis, MD, Midwest Heart Specialists, Downers Grove, Ill.
2 posted on 06/27/2010 7:02:55 PM PDT by CutePuppy (If you don't ask the right questions you may not get the right answers)
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To: CutePuppy

Could be coincidental.

Diabetes type 2 is related to a sedentary lifestyle.

Vitamin D is largely obtained by getting up and going outside in the sunlight.


3 posted on 06/27/2010 7:06:49 PM PDT by I_Like_Spam
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To: CutePuppy

No wonder! My husband is diabetic and cannot drink milk, because the lactose is converted to glucose. So I am not surprised that most diabetics are deficient in vitamin D.


4 posted on 06/27/2010 7:08:15 PM PDT by Former Fetus
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To: I_Like_Spam
Could be coincidental. Diabetes type 2 is related to a sedentary lifestyle. Vitamin D is largely obtained by getting up and going outside in the sunlight.

Nature' 'correlations' quite amazing. . .For sure you cannot get it in front of a computer screen. (A new idea for Steve Jobs/lol. . .)

Meantime, if you are not in sun; and even 'if you are' - take enough; get enough. . .'D'.

5 posted on 06/27/2010 7:12:42 PM PDT by cricket ('flies don't lie')
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To: Former Fetus

Supplements have no taste. . .easy to take. Take enough and take ‘D/3’. . .


6 posted on 06/27/2010 7:15:04 PM PDT by cricket ('flies don't lie')
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To: I_Like_Spam

Correlation? Seems very likely. Causation? Possibly, but not determined.

In either case, gives something to work with, and maybe help find the cure or help with care / treatment. After all, if a daily (still sedentary) “activity” of sitting “on the sun” for 20 minutes, or taking a supplement can help, it’s worth studying.


7 posted on 06/27/2010 7:17:07 PM PDT by CutePuppy (If you don't ask the right questions you may not get the right answers)
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To: CutePuppy

Dr. Mercola has a video where he says that 10-20 years from now if you go to an emergency room and they do NOT test you for Vit D deficiency they (emergency room personnel) will go to jail. He says that Vit D is responsible for the on/off switch for over 2000 genes - cancer, everything imaginable, etc.

He also says that Vit D deficiency is the reason black Americans suffer from so many diseases. Because of their melanin, they bodies don’t make Vit D like white people do, even if they are out in the sun all day.


8 posted on 06/27/2010 7:18:03 PM PDT by japaneseghost
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To: Former Fetus

Consider getting it from other source, other than milk.

Supplements are readily available, if limited sunshine exposure is not an option. See if it may help.


9 posted on 06/27/2010 7:20:56 PM PDT by CutePuppy (If you don't ask the right questions you may not get the right answers)
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To: japaneseghost
Because of their melanin, they bodies don’t make Vit D like white people do, even if they are out in the sun all day.

That's a simple property of spectrum physics, but an interesting observation re Vitamin D3 generation.

10 posted on 06/27/2010 7:24:03 PM PDT by CutePuppy (If you don't ask the right questions you may not get the right answers)
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To: CutePuppy

What do increased levels of D do for diabetics, I wonder. Alleviate the severity — or no changes once diabetes has set in?


11 posted on 06/27/2010 7:25:27 PM PDT by Exit148 (Loose Change Club Founder. Save your pennies for the next Freepathon. A little goes a long way!)
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To: I_Like_Spam

Depends upon where you live. Above a certain latitude, there’s not enough UVB available, even in summertime, to activate the VitD in the body. Northern states typically.

So no matter how much you “go outside”, you won’t create enough Vit D internally and need to supplement. Your advice would be fine for CA-TX-FL latitudes, but not so good for WA-ND-WI-NY denizens.

There’s a lot more to it than just “going outside”.


12 posted on 06/27/2010 7:27:07 PM PDT by hadit2here ("Most men would rather die than think. Many do." - Bertrand Russell)
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To: Former Fetus

Who told him that? I’ve been diabetic for nearly 40 years and drik milk as part of a balanced diet.


13 posted on 06/27/2010 7:28:04 PM PDT by chris_bdba
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To: I_Like_Spam
But Type 1 diabetes isn't.

One study examined for this review article evaluated 3,000 people with type 1 diabetes and found a decreased risk in disease for people who took vitamin D supplements.

Type 1 is an autoimmune disease, and if vitamin D significantly helps it, that suggests that vitamin D may be helpful for autoimmune disorders in general.

14 posted on 06/27/2010 7:28:30 PM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
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To: CutePuppy

Thanks!

I forwarded it to someone who has a 79 year old parent with diabetes, heart disease, etc. They were out of town when this was published, so I’m sure they missed it.

Thanks again. :)


15 posted on 06/27/2010 7:29:30 PM PDT by Daisyjane69 (Michael Reagan: "Welcome back, Dad, even if you're wearing a dress and bearing children this time)
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To: CutePuppy

They have done studies with children just diagnoised with type 1 and found that by giving them massive doses of Vitiman D can reverse it in it’s early stages and those children who are borderline they can keep it from happening by giving them large doses of Vitimin D. Lifestyle has nothing to do with it some people who are very light skinned can not get enough vitimin D from the sun because they can’t process it properly. I take a prescription vitmin D that is 50,000iu once a week I am a 40 year type 1.


16 posted on 06/27/2010 7:31:53 PM PDT by chris_bdba
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To: japaneseghost

And I’m sure Je$$e Jacka$$ or other race whores will call him racist for saying that and try to shake down the medical establishment for mo’ money, mo’ money for his Rainbow Coalition that no other blacks will ever see or benefit from.

I remember something of an uproar about Sickle Cell Anemia when it first was discovered and the Docs were called racist because they said it was predominant in Blacks.

Not to mention the word “niggardly”.


17 posted on 06/27/2010 7:33:17 PM PDT by hadit2here ("Most men would rather die than think. Many do." - Bertrand Russell)
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To: Daisyjane69

You are very welcome!


18 posted on 06/27/2010 7:37:10 PM PDT by CutePuppy (If you don't ask the right questions you may not get the right answers)
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To: japaneseghost

After reading about Vitamin D and cancer (specifically Pancreatic Cancer) I take 2000 IU daily. I’m also addicted to milk - I LOVE it.


19 posted on 06/27/2010 7:44:55 PM PDT by peggybac
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To: CutePuppy

I’ve been taking vitamin D3 supplements for several years now. I was taking some earlier, but now taking more.

It seems as if every day a new story comes out about the importance of getting enough vitamin D—especially in cloudy weather or in the winter or if you don’t get enough sun for one reason or another.

I was a couple of years ahead of my doctor, who has been prescribing massive doses for some of my grownup children, to bring them up to snuff. I told all the kids to start taking this stuff, but I guess not all of them were listening. My wife, too.

If you are older, and taking calcium to prevent deterioration of your bones, you need it to help process the calcium, too. It appears to be very basic, and deficient in an awful lot of people.


20 posted on 06/27/2010 7:47:04 PM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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