Written by Jessica Patella, ND. Of the 133 participating women with gestational diabetes, those who took 50,000 IUs of Vitamin D every 2 weeks (4000 IU daily) or 50,000 IU monthly (2000 IU daily), had significant decreases in insulin and cholesterol levels compared to those who took only 200 IU per day. Antioxidant levels were significantly improved in all participants with gestational diabetes.
An estimated 9.2% of pregnant women suffer from gestational diabetes 1. Gestational diabetes is diabetes that develops for the first time during pregnancy. Having gestational diabetes can increase the risk for type 2 diabetes in the future for the mother. It can also have serious side effects on the infant, such as fetal growth restriction, fetal distress, preterm delivery and excessive amniotic fluid 2,3. Recent research has found that high-dose vitamin D can improve insulin resistance in women with gestational diabetes 2.
The recent research included 133 women with gestational diabetes mellitus during weeks 24-28 of pregnancy. The women were randomly divided into one of four groups:
- Placebo Group (n=20)
- Low Dose Vitamin D Group: 200 IU per day (n=38)
- Medium Dose Vitamin D Group: 50,000 IU monthly (2,000 IU/day for 25 days, n=38)
- High Dose Vitamin D Group: 50,000 IU every 2 weeks (4,000 IU/day for 12.5 days, n=37)
After supplementation, the high and medium doses of vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced insulin levels in women with gestation diabetes compared to the placebo group (5.01 and 4.2 IU/ml vs. 9.21 IU/ml, respectively, P<0.01). High and medium doses of vitamin D supplementation also significantly reduced insulin resistance in women with gestational diabetes compared to the placebo group (HOMA-IR:1.52 and 1.18 vs. 2.87, respectively, P<0.01) 2.
High and medium doses of vitamin D supplementation decreased total cholesterol levels in participants compared to the placebo group (0.07 and 0.02 vs. 0.27 mmol/L; P<0.01) 2.
Vitamin D supplementation across all doses, high, medium and low, increased total antioxidant capacity (120, 89, 49 mmol/l, respectively) and total glutathione levels (199, 158, 102 micromol/l, respectively) as compared to the placebo group (12mmol/l and -28 micromol/l, respectively; P<0.01) 2. The increase in antioxidant activity is important because diabetes has been shown to cause oxidative stress, which lowers antioxidant levels and can worsen disease 4.
In conclusion, high dose vitamin D supplementation (50,000 IU every 2 weeks) significantly decreased levels of insulin resistance and total cholesterol levels in women with gestational diabetes. Vitamin D overall also improved antioxidant status in the women with gestational diabetes. The researchers concluded that high-dose vitamin D is recommended for pregnant women with gestational diabetes from the 12th week of pregnancy until delivery 2.
Source: Zhang Q, Cheng Y, He M, Li T, Ma Z, Cheng H. Effect of various doses of vitamin D supplementation on pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus: A randomized controlled trial. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine. 2016;12(3):1889-1895.
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Posted December 6, 2016.
Jessica Patella, ND, is a naturopathic physician specializing in nutrition and homeopathic medicine and offers a holistic approach to health. She earned her ND from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, AZ, and is a member of the North Carolina Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Visit her website at www.awarenesswellness.com.
References:
- Association AD. What is Gestational Diabetes?
- Zhang Q, Cheng Y, He M, Li T, Ma Z, Cheng H. Effect of various doses of vitamin D supplementation on pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus: A randomized controlled trial. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine. 2016;12(3):1889-1895.
- Han S, Middleton PF, Bubner TK, Crowther CA. Women’s views on their diagnosis and management for borderline gestational diabetes mellitus. J Diabetes Res. 2015;2015:209215.
- Vural M. Evaluation of the Future atherosclerotic Heart Disease with Oxidative Stress and Carotid Artery Intima Media Thickness in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Endocrine Research. 2012;37:145-153.
