News
New study shows UK adolescents require a vitamin D intake of between 10 to 30 µg per day to maintain adequate tissue levels and avoid deficiency
12 December 2016
29 October 2009
Supplements of vitamin D may improve risk factors for diabetes such as insulin resistance and sensitivity, says a new study.
The study involved 81 South Asian women with insulin resistance (1). The subjects, aged between 23 and 68, were randomly assigned to receive either 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) of vitamin D3 or placebo daily for six months. At the end of the test period, women in the vitamin D group experienced significant improvements in both insulin sensitivity and resistance, said the researchers, which was also accompanied a decrease in fasting insulin levels, compared to placebo.
Insulin resistance, a condition in which normal amounts of insulin are inadequate to produce a normal insulin response from fat, muscle and liver cells, was significantly lower in women following high-dose vitamin D supplementation, according to results of the randomized, controlled, double-blind trial. The optimal effects were observed when blood vitamin D levels were in the range 80 to 119 nanomoles per liter, said the researchers, providing further evidence for an increase in the recommended adequate levels.
This is not the first time that vitamin D has been linked to diabetes: a meta-analysis of data from observational studies and clinical trials in adults showed a relatively consistent association between low intakes of calcium, vitamin D, or dairy intake and type-2 diabetes (2).
12 December 2016
15 July 2015
Helena Pachon is Research Associate Professor at the Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta, USA. Her team has been involved in a systematic assessment regarding the effectiveness of the fortification of flour to prevent anemia. They found that each year of flour fortification was associated with a 2.4% reduction in the prevalence of anemia. There was no reduction in those countries that did not fortify.
1 October 2012
According to a new Swedish study, a diet high in antioxidants may be associated with a lower risk of myocardial infarction in women.