Publication:

Study the effectiveness and safety of vitamin D as an additional treatment for type 2 diabetic patients using oral anti-diabetics at a tertiary care hospital

Background The prevalence of type 2 DM is alarmingly rising on a global scale. Improved treatments for type 2 DM are still needed, in order to slow the disease’s development. A role in the pathophysiology of type 2 DM has been suggested by the correlation between vitamin D insufficiency and several non-skeletal illnesses, including DM. The goal of the study was to determine if vitamin D supplementation may help type 2 DM patients whose glycemic status was uncontrolled even after using oral antidiabetics.

Methods 60 individuals with type 2 DM and vitamin D insufficiency participated in this 12-week open-label, before-and-after study. For 12 weeks, in addition to oral anti-diabetic medications, these patients also received 60,000 IU of vitamin D3 orally every week. HbA1c, FBS, and 25(OH)D levels parameters were included.

Results The majority of the patients were from 41-50 years of age group (48.3%) with a male predominance (60%). Most of them were having >1 year of type 2 DM duration (78.3%) with a high family history of type 2 DM (70%). After 12 weeks, there was a substantial (p<0.001*) drop in FBG levels and a significant (p<0.001*) decrease in HbA1c. 25(OH)D levels showed a high rise (p<0.001*). None of the patients had any side effects.

Conclusions Vitamin D treatment improves glycemic status, which slows the development of type 2 DM and its associated effects. As such, vitamin D supplementation is a safe and promising adjuvant treatment for individuals with type 2 diabetes who are low in vitamin D.