A new study shows that people who are at high risk of developing diabetes and supplement with vitamin D3 but do not lack vitamin D, do not lower their chances of developing the illness, in comparison to placebo. The results come from randomized, placebo-controlled trial research, named ‘The Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d).
Anastassios Pittas, MD, from Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, and lead researcher said that the team’s study findings did not depict a statistically significant benefit for vitamin D in lowering the progression to type 2 diabetes in people who have enough levels. However, in a retrospect assay, they did see that vitamin D supplementation eventually was of help in those people with deficient vitamin D levels.
After 2.5 years of monitoring 99 percent of the volunteers, no significant difference was discovered in the development of diabetes among those consuming vitamin D supplements and those on placebo.
Vitamin D doesn’t stop the progression of type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes
The study was published at the same time in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Diabetes Association 2019 Scientific Sessions by Dr. Anastassios Pittas.
Deborah J. Wexler, MD, from Massachusetts General Hospital Diabetes Center and Harvard Medical School, states that D2d is the widest of a few randomized controlled tests concerning vitamin D supplementation used to avoid advancement to type 2 diabetes. The benefits of vitamin D for diabetes prevention, if existing, are low and definitely does not relate to people with sufficient levels of vitamin D. No matter if targeting people with vitamin D levels under 12 ng/mL, many of whom have more risk factors for diabetes, would have an impact on beta-cell function and advancement to type 2 diabetes stays unsolved.
A total of 2423 participants from 22 US cities took part in the study. They were randomized, 1211 to the vitamin D group and 1212 to the placebo group, to get 4000 IU per day of vitamin D or placebo, with no regards to the baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level. The 4000 IU per day dosage was chosen to weigh safety and efficiency and resulted in a considerable difference in the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level between the tested groups in the first two years of monitoring.
