Dr Kundan Khamkar, MBBS, MD
Founder & Medical Director, DiabaPro Diabetes Clinic, Pune
Areas of Specialization:
- Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 & 2 patients
- Gestational Diabetes Patients
- Obese patients
- Hypertensive Patients
- Diabetics with complications
Vitamin D plays an important role for maintenance of calcium and bone homeostasis. Over the years, vitamin D deficiency has been found associated with various non skeletal diseases such as diabetes mellitus. Deficiency of vitamin D in type 2 diabetes patients is very common. Several research studies provide evidence that vitamin D may have functional effect on glucose tolerance through its impact on insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion. Pancreatic beta cells have vitamin D receptors and these cells produce active form of vitamin D. Vitamin is having the ability to regulate the immune system and also possess an anti-inflammatory property.
There is a link between vitamin D deficiency, the onset, and the disease progression of type 2 diabetes as demonstrated by observational studies. Low vitamin D level is related with future circulatory events in patients of type 2 diabetes. This association may because of the link between vitamin D, blood pressure and inflammation. There is a direct relation between intake of vitamin D and insulin sensitivity. Vitamin D also reduces insulin resistance probably its role for controlling phosphorus and calcium metabolism.
VITAMIN D AND ITS ROLE IN INSULIN RESISTANCE
Vitamin D deficiency is probably a risk factor for development of type 2 diabetes. It’s a fat soluble vitamin and important to maintain the health of the bones, joints and assists immune system function. Bone pain and muscle weakness are the signs of vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D also helps to regulate the insulin production in pancreas. Its supplementation may prevent pre diabetes from progressing into diabetes. The risk of disease progression may decrease with every unit increase in level of vitamin D.
Vitamin D deficiency interacts with several risk factors synergistically to heighten diabetes chances along with other metabolic disorders. It also helps body to activate insulin receptors to lower blood glucose level. Inflammation throughout the body is associated with diabetes and other health complications. Hence vitamin D is responsible to reduce the inflammatory chemicals in the body.
Protective effect of vitamin D is well known on diabetes and the reason could be anti-inflammatory attribute, and phosphorus and calcium metabolism. Vitamin D is responsible to increase glucose transport into the muscles. Vitamin D deficiency and inflammation both are inversely proportional. It also regulates calcium metabolism, thus deficiency of vitamin D can lead to serious diseases.
Studies are available as an evidence to report significant effects of vitamin D on diabetes. For the treatment of type 2 diabetes, vitamin D should be included in the treatment plan. It is quite evident from the research studies that vitamin D can improve diabetes control. It is possible that vitamin D could be effective in vitamin D-deficient patients, and especially in those with poor glycemic control. The findings are consistent with other published studies, in which insulin resistance decreases among type 2 diabetic patients with intake of vitamin D.
Vitamin D concentration is very important and significant effects of it can be observed when 40–60 ng/ml vitamin D concentration is taken for insulin resistance. Upper and lower vitamin D concentration does not have any effect on insulin resistance. Studies show that intake of vitamin D might prove to be a preventive factor for diabetes. We need to validate its role through conducting trials.
