Low Vitamin D = Diabetes ?

[THE-DET-OAK]

Aims/hypothesis
Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration may increase risk of insulin-requiring diabetes.

Methods
A nested casecontrol study was performed using serum collected during 2002 -2008 from military service members. One thousand subjects subsequently developed insulin-requiring diabetes. A healthy control was individually matched to each case on blood-draw date (±2 days), age (±3 months), length of service (±30 days) and sex. The median elapsed time between serum collection and first diagnosis of diabetes was 1 year (range 1 month to 10 years). Statistical analysis used matched pairs and conditional logistic regression.

Results
ORs for insulin-requiring diabetes by quintile of serum 25(OH)D, from lowest to highest, were 3.5 (95% CI 2.0, 6.0), 2.5 (1.5, 4.2), 0.8 (0.4, 1.4), 1.1 (0.6, 2.8) and 1.0 (reference) (p trend <0.001). The quintiles (based on fifths using serum 25(OH)D concentration in the controls) of serum 25(OH)D in nmol/l, were <43 (median 28), 43-59 (median 52), 60;77 (median 70), 78-99 (median 88) and 100 (median 128).

Conclusions/interpretation
Individuals with lower serum 25(OH)D concentrations had higher risk of insulin-requiring diabetes than those with higher concentrations. A 3.5-fold lower risk was associated with a serum 25(OH)D concentration 60 nmol/l.

Diabetologia, Volume 55, Number 12 - SpringerLink

So if we know low Vitamin D has an increase risk of diabetes, and we know SHBG has been found to be low in those with diabetes, can we stand to reason that it is possible to fix SHBG levels with either 25 Hydroxy or its Bio Active counterpart 1,25 Dihydroxy? (calcitriol)

 

[zephyr_987]

so easy solution, get 30-45 min of direct sun exposure daily

 

[THE-DET-OAK]

It would be nice if it were that simple, problem is a lot of people don't have a problem getting vitamin D, they have a problem converting it to its biologically active counterpart, 1,25 dihydroxy.

On top of that where I live, about 4 months out of the year its near impossible to get sun exposure on a daily basis.

 

[riprockwell]

Good post Det. From my experience, my Vit-D was low and it is amazing how long it can take some people to raise their Vit-D levels. I believe my Vit-D reading was a 26 and after 6 months of 5000ius per day, my reading was a 52. Some people can take 6-12 months to raise up their levels and that is with a strong supplementation schedule. I even get a lot of sun, but it didn't make much of a difference. I have noticed my energy levels have definitely gone up since supplementing it.

 

[SicVic]

hmmm maybe I should look into this.

 

[BigBam]

Good info..On my initial blood test my Vit D reading was 18 & I was prescribed 1.25 mg or 50,000 units per week. Interested to see what my levels are now since I'm supplementing...By the way I'm type 2 diabetic, wonder if that was the reason for the abysmal #'s