Can low vitamin D worsen my diabetes?

Vitamin D is a potent anti-inflammatory factor, besides its  protective effects on the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, its importance in calcium absorption and bone growth and its nourishing effects on the gut microbiome. 

Diabetes mellitus features inflammation as the process through which it damages the organism. Low vitamin D levels leave us vulnerable to the complications of diabetes mellitus, namely blood vessel and nerve damage. 

One of the first steps in diabetes management should be to correct vitamin D deficiency. 

What is the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus is a condition characterized by high blood glucose levels. There are various forms of diabetes relating to the cause of the problem. Two major categories identified are known as type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

In type 1 diabetes the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas have been destroyed or are non-functional. These individuals do not make enough insulin to survive and rely on insulin injections for life. 

In type 2 diabetes the body is not responding well to the insulin produced and therefore glucose does not get properly absorbed by the cells in the body. We can use pills and/or insulin to improve blood glucose control for patients with type 2 diabetes..

Type 2 diabetes in its origin relates very much to lifestyle and heredity. 

Many factors, including the body's own antibodies may be responsible for beta cell destruction in type 1 diabetes. The role of heredity in the origins of type 1 diabetes is less clear. 

Don't Skip Breakfast

I regularly emphasize the importance of proper timing of meals in controlling weight, blood glucose and cholesterol levels among other health benefits. 

The maxim: 'Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.'  acquires increased relevance in our modern society afflicted by the scourge of chronic degenerative illness we have come to label 'the metabolic syndrome'.

I published on the application of chrononutrition principles to diabetes mellitus management in 2018: 
Diabetes Spectrum 2018 Jul; ds180014.  https://doi.org/10.2337/ds18-0014

I recently viewed a very interesting video supportive of this message published by Dr. Michael Greger in his Nutrition Facts video series. You will find his message highly informatve. 
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-circadian-rhythms-affect-blood-sugar-levels/

With increasing awareness of the importance of meal timing in our health, the metabolic syndrome may soon be known as 'The Circadian Syndrome'.

Result FilterSend to

J Intern Med. 2019 Aug;286(2):181-191. doi: 10.1111/joim.12924. Epub 2019 Jun 10.