Written by Diana Gnat, DC. In a study of 128 children with type 1 diabetes, only 24% were found to have sufficient vitamin D blood levels.
Estimated Diabetes health care costs in the United States in 2007 totaled $174 billion. Approximately 186,300 people under 20 years old in the United States have type 1 or type 2 Diabetes. (1)
In a recent study, researchers examined vitamin D status in children with Type 1 Diabetes. Subjects participated in a cross-sectional study at Joslin Diabetes Center. The study included 128 participants who were recently diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes as well as established Type 1 Diabetes. They completed questionnaires and provided blood samples during the study. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) was the indicator of vitamin D status. Vitamin D is made up of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) and ergocalciferol (vitamin D2). Vitamin D was defined as sufficient when greater than or equal to 30 ng/mL, insufficient when between 21 to 29 ng/mL and deficient when less than or equal to 20 ng/mL. Visits to the clinic where also categorized by season to account for changes in sunlight exposure and vitamin D production. (2)
Seventy-six percent of all subjects had lower levels of vitamin D. Sixty-one percent of the subjects had vitamin D insufficiency, while 15 percent of the subjects were defined as deficient in vitamin D. This means only 24 percent of the subjects were actually sufficient in vitamin D levels. “Participants with vitamin D deficiency, however, were significantly older (P** < .001), had longer diabetes duration (P** < .01), and had lower A1C*** levels (P** = .05)”. (2)
In order to study the relationship of age of subject and vitamin D status, subjects were separated into 3 groups by ages. The youngest group was 0-5 years old. The middle group was 6-11 years old, and the oldest group was 12-18 years old. Inadequate vitamin D status was significantly prevalent in the oldest age group, 24.2 ng/mL, when compared to the youngest group, 30.8 ng/mL (P** < .01). (2)
Due to the small nature of the study, further research is needed to evaluate the full effects of vitamin D supplementation. Future studies should also evaluate the underlying mechanisms.
Source: Svoren, Britta M., et al. “Significant vitamin D deficiency in youth with type 1 diabetes mellitus.” The Journal of pediatrics 154.1 (2009): 132-134.
© 2009 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
Posted January 12, 2009.
*Rickets – Bone deformation from poor mineralization.
**P – A statistics term. A measure of probability that a difference between groups during an experiment happened by chance. The lower the p-value, the more likely it is that the difference between groups was caused by treatment. (3).
***A1C levels – also known as Hemoglobin A1C, a test that measures a person’s average blood glucose level over the past 2 to 3 months. (4).
References:
- Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007. National Diabetes Statistics,http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/statistics/DM_Statistics.pdf.
- Svoren, B.M. et al. Significant Vitamin D Deficiency in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. J Pediatr. 2009;154:132-4.
- See the National Cancer Institute website.
- See the American Diabetes Association website.
