Vitamin D deficiency and diabetes - a recent study

Some newspapers have recently picked up on a Spanish study which examines the links between vitamin D, obesity and diabetes

Headlines typically read “Run for the sun to stave off diabetes”

This is not the first of such studies but it varied in that this particular study looked at Vitamin D levels in people across a wide range of weight – from lean to morbidly obese. It found that:

• Obese subjects without glucose metabolism disorders had higher levels of vitamin D than diabetic subjects.

• Similarly those with a lean metabolism with diabetes or another glucose metabolism order were more likely to have low levels of vitamin D.

 “Our findings indicate that vitamin D is associated more closely with glucose metabolism than obesity,” said one of the study’s authors, Manuel Macías-González, PhD, of Complejo Hospitalario de Málaga (Virgen de la Victoria) and the University of Málaga.

“The study suggests that Vitamin D deficiency and obesity interact synergistically to heighten the risk of diabetes and other metabolic disorders”

So should you immediately book a holiday abroad?  No sorry, this study reinforces the generally sensible advice that you can reduce your risk of getting diabetes by keeping on a healthy diet - vitamin D is available in milk, proteins, and vegetables – and by getting good levels of outdoor activity.