Researchers say people with prediabetes may want to take vitamin D - here's why.

KARACHI -- Vitamin D can help with blood sugar levels and insulin production,so some research indicates it can help people with prediabetes avoid a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Anew study concludes that people with prediabetes who take vitamin D supplements can lower their risk of type 2 diabetes. Past research indicates that vitamin D can positively affect blood sugar levels, inflammation, and insulin production. It can be difficult to obtain enough vitamin D through your diet, so sunshine and supplements can be options. People with prediabetes who supplement with at least 1,000 units per day of vitamin D may significantly reduce theirrisk of progressing to a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. That's the conclusion of recent research Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. The meta-analysis included nearly 45,000 participants from nine previous clinical trials.

Those participating had an average age of 65 years. With the large sample size, the researchers said they were striving to determine more clearly if a deficiency in vitamin D increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and if supplementstaken by people with prediabetes could prevent further progression of the disease. Dr. Zachary Bloomgarden, a professor at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City specializing in endocrine and diabetes care, says the association between vitamin D and type 2 diabetes has been studied many times. 'The random controlled trials have not convincingly showed that vitamin D prevents diabetes, but subset analogies suggest that the group of individuals with low vitamin D levels are protected from diabetes by taking a vitamin D supplement In a studyTrusted Source focused who have obesity; vitamin D deficiency and prediabetes were identified in 33 percent of the participants. 'Vitamin D is really a prohormone,' explained Bloomgarden .

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