Study says vitamin D may be needed by young diabetics
Lee Swanson Research Update
Over 75% of young type 1 diabetics may require vitamin D supplements, after a recent study reported surprisingly high levels of insufficiency.
Writing in The Journal of Pediatrics, Boston-based researchers surveyed 128 youths aged between 18 months and 17.5 years with type 1 diabetes. They found that 61% of the youths had insufficient levels of vitamin D, and 15% were clinically deficient.
Insufficient levels of the vitamin may increase the risk of complications later in life, the researchers said, most notably in terms of weakened bone strength.
"We need to make sure all youths in general are getting enough vitamin D in their diets," said Britta Svoren, MD, lead author of the study. "And, we need to pay particular attention to those with diabetes as they appear to be at an even higher risk of vitamin D deficiency. For children who are not drinking sufficient amounts of vitamin D fortified milk, we are encouraging them to take a vitamin D supplement of 400 IU daily."
Researchers, from the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston and Harvard Medical School measured levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in the youths. The participants included both those with recent onset of diabetes and those who had long-established diabetes.
Of the 128 youths in the study, only 24% had sufficient levels, and these were mostly the younger participants. Deficiencies were mostly observed in the older subjects. Furthermore, 85% of the adolescents in the sample demonstrated inadequate vitamin D levels, said the researchers.
In addition to potential skeletal problems later in life as a result of insufficient vitamin D levels, the researchers note that vitamin D deficiency in infants and children is associated with bone deformation, while insufficiency also prevents youths from attaining their optimal bone mass.
"In addition to inadequate levels of vitamin D, adolescent patients with type 1 diabetes potentially possess multiple risk factors for increased skeletal fragility," wrote the researchers. Svoren and her co-workers noted that since many of the risk factors for low vitamin D status may not be modifiable, "ensuring vitamin D sufficiency throughout childhood and during the time of maximal bone mineral accrual seems particularly warranted in this population."
The Journal of Pediatrics 154(1):132-134, 2009
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