Is Type 1 Diabetes Linked to Low Vitamin D Levels?

When I was growing up, Type 1 Diabetes was considered a disease you got as a child. It was even called “juvenile onset diabetes.” These days more than half of the people diagnosed with Type 1 are over 20. But is there something that just might help lower the risk of contracting this disease?

According to our source article in the What’s Hot for February 6, the American Journal of Epidemiology published the results of a study done by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health. Using active duty personnel who had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes from 1997 to 2009 and a control group, the researchers found an association between lower risk of developing it and vitamin D blood levels (25-hydroxyvitamin D).

… a 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of at least 100 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) among non-Hispanic Caucasians was associated with a 44 percent lower risk of developing type 1 diabetes in comparison with the risk experienced by those whose levels were less than 75 nmol/L. The incidence of type 1 diabetes was greatest among those whose vitamin D levels were among the lowest one-fifth of participants.

In a point which may require the medical profession to look at what they consider to be normal levels of vitamin D, the senior author even commented that:

The risk of type 1 diabetes appears to be increased even at vitamin D levels that are commonly regarded as normal, suggesting that a substantial proportion of the population could benefit from increased vitamin D intake.

While no one ever wants to suggest what levels you should be taking, which is a discussion for you and your doctor, the researchers and authors of the journal’s article did mention that even though the suggestion for “universal use” is “premature”, it could be that …

… the possibility that many cases could be prevented by supplementation with 1,000-4,000 IU/day, which is largely considered safe, is enticing.

If you have a type 1 diabetes history in your family and low vitamin D levels, you really should discuss this matter with your doctor and learn what he/she prescribes for you.

Source article: http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2013_02.htm