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Last Updated: Apr 16, 2008 - 5:52:06 PM |
SUNDAY March 16, 2008 (Foodconsumer.org) -- A new study in Archives of Disease in Childhood suggests that children who take vitamin D supplements may reduce their risk of developing type 1 diabetes later in life.
The study by researchers from St Mary's Hospital for Women and Children, Manchester showed children who took supplements were 30 percent less likely to develop type 1 diabetes compared to those who did not.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to handle blood sugar. The condition affects people at any age although many patients are diagnosed after age 20.
Type 1 diabetes results from the immune system destruction of pancreatic cells which produce the hormone insulin. Symptoms include increased thirst, increased urination, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and fatigue.
The study analyzed data from five published studies to examine the effect of vitamin D supplementation and found use of the supplements not only reduced the risk of diabetes, but also the effect was dose-dependent, meaning the higher the dose, the lower the risk of developing the disease.
Earlier studies found patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes had lower levels of vitamin D in their blood compared to those without the condition.
Low levels of vitamin D were also found more often in people with other autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Additionally, people in the countries where exposure to sunlight is less frequent have higher risk of diabetes.
Other evidence suggests that vitamin D may affect pancreatic beta cells and immune cells because they have receptors for the active forms of vitamin D.
All this means that vitamin D might have something to do with type 1 diabetes.
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