Vitamin D deficiency is associated with a significantly higher risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and an increase in risk to develop certain diseases such as cancer, hypertension, multiple sclerosis or cardiovascular diseases.In addition, it has been proven that people who have low levels of vitamin D are more likely to have diabetes, although so far it was related above all to overweight or obesity.However, a new study helps clarify the relationship between vitamin D, obesity and diabetes.
According to a new study conducted by Spanish researchers and published in 'Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Amp;Metabolism ', clarifies that in the diabetes and vitamin D equation, the weight is not always found.
Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and maintain bone and muscular health.The skin produces this vitamin after exposure to sunlight and people also absorb smaller amounts of vitamin through food, such as fortified milk with vitamin D. It is estimated that more than one billion people throughout the entireworld have poor levels of vitamin D due to limited sun exposure.
"The main strength of this work is that it compares vitamin D levels in people with a wide range of pesos (from thin to subjects with morbid obesity), taking into account the presence of diabetes," says one of the authors of the study,Dr. Mercedes Clemente-Postigo, of the Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga (Ibima) in the Virgen de la Victoria hospital complex of Malaga and the University of Malaga.
vitamin D, obesity and diabetes
However, the scientific declaration of endocrine society on the non -skeletal effects of vitamin D, recalls that studies have found that people who have low levels of vitamin D are more likely to be obese.They also tend at a higher level to suffer from type 2 diabetes, prediabetes and metabolic syndrome than individuals with normal levels of vitamin D.
The cross -section study compared biomarkers of vitamin D in 118 participants in the Virgen de la Victoria University Hospital in Malaga, as well as 30 participants at the University Hospital Doctor Josep Trueta de Girona.All participants were classified by their body mass index (BMI), as well as the presence of diabetes, prediabetes or without glycemic disorders.The researchers measured the levels of vitamin D in the bloodstream of the participants and the expression of the vitamin D receptor in the adipose tissue.
The analysis found that obese subjects that had no glucose metabolism disorders had higher levels of vitamin D than diabetic subjects.Similarly, thin people with diabetes or other glucose metabolism disorder were more likely to present low levels of vitamin D The vitamin D levels were directly correlated with glucose levels, but not with the BMI.
"Our findings indicate that vitamin D is more closely associated with the metabolism of glucose than with obesity," summarizes one of the authors of the study, Manuel Macías González, of the Virgen de la Victoria de la Victoria hospital complex of Malaga and the University of Malaga."The study suggests that vitamin D deficiency and obesity interact synergistically to increase the risk of diabetes and other metabolic disorders. People can reduce their risk through a healthy diet and with sufficient outdoor activity," he advises.