Vitamin D and diabetes: the devil is in the D-tails

Excerpt

Is vitamin D important in diabetes? In the current issue of Diabetologia, Marjamäki et al. report data from the Diabetes Prediction and Prevention Study (DIPP), in which the dietary habits of Finnish women were meticulously examined and linked to the onset of autoimmunity in their (genetically at risk) offspring [1]. The straightforward answer from this impressive study is that there was no correlation between the amount of vitamin D consumed by the mother and the appearance of islet autoantibodies in the blood of their offspring in the first year of life. These data clarify one important issue, but do not resolve the existing confusion about vitamin D and diabetes. Some experts still claim an important role for this molecule, and lay websites advocate vitamin D supplementation in high doses to prevent type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The devil is in the detail.… …