Publication:

Correlation of Vitamin D deficiency with Type 2 diabetes and metabolic traits in the Indian population

Background In India, 30-50% of children and 50-80% of adults are Vitamin D deficient. Limited data exists to assess the association of Vitamin D status, Type 2 diabetes (T2D), and metabolic traits in Indians. This study was conducted to assess the correlation of Vitamin D deficiency with T2D and metabolic risk factors in the Indian population.

Methods Patients of either gender visiting medicine outpatient department over a period of 1-year and with Vitamin D deficiency (levels <20 ng/ml), not taking Vitamin D supplements and having T2D were selected for the study. Participants were tested for serum Vitamin D, fasting blood sugar, and lipid profile parameters. Correlation between Vitamin D deficiency and blood sugar and Vitamin D deficiency and lipid profile was assessed using Pearson’s correlation test.

Results Out of 144 subjects, number of diabetic patients were 74 (51.38%) and non-diabetic patients were 70 (48.61%). Among diabetic patients, 10/74 (13.51%) were Vitamin D deficient and among non-diabetic patients, 20/70 (28.57%) were Vitamin D deficient. There was an inverse correlation between Vitamin D and total cholesterol (p=0.01) and Vitamin D and low-density lipoprotein (p=0.01), and it was statistically significant (p<0.05).

Conclusion Assessment of Vitamin D levels can be useful in diabetic patients as its deficiency is associated with T2D.