Sunshine vitamin may cut diabetes risk
Friday October 7th, 2011
People with a good supply of the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D, have a reduced risk of developing Type 2 diabetes mellitus, according to new findings.
A
study conducted by scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München, in
co-operation with the German Diabetes Centre and the University of Ulm,
has concluded the effect could be attributable, among other things, to
the anti-inflammatory effect of the vitamin.
Tests on participants in the KORA study (Kooperative Gesundheitsforschung in der Region Augsburg , which translates as Co-operative Health Research in the Augsburg Region) revealed that those with higher concentrations of vitamin D have a reduced risk of developing Typ 2 diabetes mellitus, compared with those who have lower amounts.
Dr Barbara Thorand, Institute for Epidemiology II at the Helmholtz Zentrum München, said many people were deficient of vitamin D deficiency in Germany because of the modern way of life and the country’s geographical latitude.
“In the winter months, in particular, people often do not receive adequate supplies of the vitamin because of the lack of sunlight,” she explains in the October edition of the journal Diabetes Care.
“If follow-up studies confirm our results, a targeted improvement in the supply of vitamin D to the general public could at the same time reduce the risk of developing diabetes.”
Tags: Diabetes | Diet & Food | Europe
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