Vitamin D3 supplementation improves insulin sensitivity in subjects with impaired fasting glucose (original) (raw)

2011, Translational Research

Vitamin D has in vitro and in vivo effects on β-cells and insulin sensitivity. Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) has been associated with onset and progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-2). However, studies involving supplementation of vitamin D in subjects with previously established diabetes have demonstrated inconsistent effects on insulin sensitivity. The aim of this open-label study was to assess the effects of high dose vitamin D3 supplementation on insulin sensitivity in subjects with VDD and impaired fasting glucose. We studied 8 subjects with VDD and prediabetes with the modified frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance (mFSIGT) test before and after vitamin D supplementation. Vitamin D3 was administered as 10,000 IU daily for 4 weeks. The mFSIGT was analyzed with MinMod Millennnium to obtain estimates of Acute Insulin Response to Glucose (AIRg), Insulin Sensitivity (SI), and Disposition Index (DI). We found that AIRg decreased (p = 0.011) and insulin sensitivity, expressed as SI, increased (p = 0.012) after a intervention with vitamin D. If these findings are repeated in a randomized, doubleblind, sudy the results indicate that orally administered high dose vitamin D3 supplementation improves insulin sensitivity in subjects with impaired fasting glucose and suggests that high dose vitamin D3 supplementation might provide an inexpensive public health measure in preventing, or at least delaying, the progression from impaired fasting glucose to diabetes.