Study of efficacy of vitamin D supplement on disease progression and glycemic control in patients with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Vitamin D – a fat soluble vitamin- is best known for its role in calcium regulation and bone metabolism. Recently, however, an emerging body of evidence has suggested that vitamin D may have previously-unrecognized effects on a variety of physiologic processes, including those relating to glucose homeostasis (SakinehShab-Bidar et al., 2011). The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 DM) is increasing at an alarming rate both nationally and worldwide (Sung et al., 2012). Pre-diabetes remains a state of high risk for developing diabetes with yearly conversion rate of 5%-10%. Observational evidence suggests as association between pre-diabetes and complications of diabetes such early nephropathy, small fiber neuropathy, early retinopathy and risk of macro-vascular disease (Bansal, 2015). Various cross-sectional studies have largely, but not consistently, shown a significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose metabolism in vitamin D deficiency conditions (Muscogiuri et al., 2012). vitamin D deficiency may predispose to glucose intolerance, altered insulin secretion and type 2 diabetes, either through a direct action via vitamin D receptor (VDR) activation or indirectly via calcemic hormones and also via inflammation (Andrade Chagas et al., 2012).