13 January 2012
Increased blood levels of vitamin D may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, says a new Spanish study.
In the observational study, serum vitamin D concentration measurement and diabetes diagnosis (oral glucose tolerance test) were performed in 961 adults at the beginning, during, and at the end of the nine-year study (1). The study results showed that incidence of diabetes was less than 5% in people with 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels greater than 18.5 ng/mL, compared with an incidence of 12.4% in people with blood levels lower than this. In addition, the risk of developing diabetes was significantly lower in people with the higher vitamin D levels, with no diabetes recorded in people with blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D higher than 30 ng/mL.
The researchers commented that although the results show correlation and not causation, it is biologically plausible that vitamin D may reduce the incidence of diabetes, including influencing the function of beta-cells in the pancreas that control insulin production. The vitamin may also affect sensitivity to insulin. In addition, an anti-inflammatory role of vitamin D may also affect diabetes risk. Already, US researchers have recently reported on the vitamin’s potential anti- diabetic activity: a daily 2,000 international units ( IU) dose of vitamin D3 boosted the functioning of beta cells by 25% (2).
23 April 2012
A new study from the UK suggests that intake of oral vitamin D at 5,000 IU daily for three months has a superior effect than 2,000 IU daily in treating mild to moderate vitamin D deficiency.
1 January 2015
Until now, recommendations for adequate nutrition could only be generalized, or at best specialized for target groups like children, sportsmen and -women or the elderly. In contrast, personalized nutrition aims to define dietary recommendations and possibly appropriate products for each individual based on their genetic and physiological characteristics. These recommendations would be designed to maintain health and avert the disease risks to which that individual might be predisposed. Micronutrients are involved in specific biochemical processes at all points in the metabolic process and play an important role in regulating health and in the onset of diseases. New analytical techniques make it possible to examine and describe the influence of micronutrients in health-preserving processes. This is usually done by analyzing a combination of biomarkers so as to provide the individual with a tailored micronutrient intake recommendation.
19 April 2018
A new concept in gut microbiome research is the broadening of what we classify as prebiotic. In the past, prebiotics had to be consumed by gut bacteria to be considered a prebiotic. Learn more about other components of the diet impacting the gut microbiome.
