Focus on vitamin D, inflammation and type 2 diabetes

Carlos Eduardo Andrade Chagas, Maria Carolina Borges, Lígia Araújo Martini, Marcelo Macedo Rogero

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

161 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The initial observations linking vitamin D to type 2 diabetes in humans came from studies showing that both healthy and diabetic subjects had a seasonal variation of glycemic control. Currently, there is evidence supporting that vitamin D status is important to regulate some pathways related to type 2 diabetes development. Since the activation of inflammatory pathways interferes with normal metabolism and disrupts proper insulin signaling, it is hypothesized that vitamin D could influence glucose homeostasis by modulating inflammatory response. Human studies investigating the impact of vitamin D supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers of subjects with or at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes are scarce and have generated conflicting results. Based on available clinical and epidemiological data, the positive effects of vitamin D seem to be primarily related to its action on insulin secretion and sensitivity and secondary to its action on inflammation. Future studies specifically designed to investigate the role of vitamin D on type 2 diabetes using inflammation as the main outcome are urgently needed in order to provide a more robust link between vitamin D, inflammation and type 2 diabetes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)52-67
Number of pages16
JournalNutrients
Volume4
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2012

Keywords

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Animals
  • Biomarkers
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Inflammation
  • Insulin
  • Insulin Resistance
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Vitamin D
  • Vitamin D Deficiency

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