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Health News Archive 391 - Diabetes
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Vitamin D and Calcium Reduce Diabetes Risk

High intake of vitamin D and calcium may reduce the risk of type II diabetes in women, according to a large long-term study.

A total of 83,779 healthy women, with an average age of 46, were monitored for 20 years. Consumption of vitamin D and calcium were calculated separately for dietary intake, supplement use, and total intake from all sources. During the study 4,843 new cases of type II diabetes were recorded.

Women who took the highest amount of vitamin D in the form of supplements had a 13% reduction in their risk for type II diabetes compared to women who took the least vitamin D. Women who had the highest intake of calcium from supplements had an 18% reduction in their risk of diabetes compared to those with the lowest calcium intake. Likewise, the risk of diabetes was 21% lower for women who took the highest amount of total calcium (from all sources) as opposed to the lowest amount.

For vitamin D plus calcium together, those women with the highest combined intake (greater than 800 IU of vitamin D and 1200 mg of calcium daily) had the lowest risk of diabetes—a 33% reduction compared to women with the lowest intake of these nutrients.

No significant effects on diabetes risk were found for dietary vitamin D intake or dietary calcium intake; in other words, the beneficial effects of vitamin D and calcium were greatest from supplementation rather than intake from food sources.

If future studies confirm the findings in this report, women will have another good reason to supplement with vitamin D and calcium—as an easy, inexpensive way to lower their risk for type II diabetes. Seems such an easy way to reduce the risk of diabetes complications - blindness, nerve damage, sexual dysfunction, foot ulcers, stroke and more.

Source: Pittas AG, Dawson-Hughes B, Li T, et al. Vitamin D and calcium intake in relation to type 2 diabetes in women. Diabetes Care. 2006 Mar;29(3):650-6.

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