Vitamin D deficiency common in diabetics

Three out of every five patients with type 2 diabetes show signs of vitamin D deficiency. Researchers from the Sacro Cuore Hospital, Negrar, Italy confirm the previous evidence demonstrating that vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in people with type 2 diabetes. Lack of vitamin D can negatively affect the bone health and have other adverse effects. Hence widespread screening for vitamin D deficiency or routine vitamin D supplementation should be seriously considered for people with diabetes. The researchers studied blood levels of vitamin D in 459 individuals with type 2 diabetes and a comparison group of 459 matched non-diabetic controls. The rate of vitamin D deficiency (61 percent) was significantly higher in diabetics than in the controls (43 percent). Diabetics with vitamin D deficiency were more likely to be women, to have poorly controlled diabetes and to be taking insulin and cholesterol-lowering drugs. Thirty-one percent of the diabetics had cardiovascular disease, which was strongly associated with low vitamin D levels. More studies are necessary to determine whether vitamin D deficiency predicts the occurrence of cardiovascular disease and to determine whether vitamin D supplementation would be protective against cardiovascular disease.