While vitamin D may have other benefits, prevention of type 2 diabetes in high-risk adults does not appear to be one of them..

“While treatment with eldecalcitol (the active form of vitamin D used to treat osteoporosis in Japan) did not significantly reduce the incidence of diabetes among people with prediabetes, the results showed a potential beneficial effect of eldecalcitol in people with insufficient insulin secretion,” the researchers said..

In a study by Tetsuya Kawahara of the University of Occupational and Environmental Health in Kitakyushu, Japan, and colleagues assessed whether vitamin D could reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in 630 people with impaired glucose tolerance.. They were compared with 626 participants who received a placebo..

These people were recruited from three hospitals in Japan between 2013 and 2019.. With a median age of 61 years, about 46% were women and 59% had a family history of type 2 diabetes.. They were tested for diabetes every three months for three years..

Approximately 12.5% \u200b\u200bof patients treated with eldecalcitol developed diabetes compared with 14% of patients treated with placebo. The results showed that blood sugar levels returned to normal in about 23% of the participants in the eldecalcitol group and in 20% of the rest.. The report was published in BMJ.

After adjusting for other influencing factors, the researchers found that eldecalcitol could prevent type 2 diabetes in some patients with prediabetes.. This conclusion is unclear and more research is needed, the study authors noted in a journal press release..

The study also showed a significant increase in bone mineral density in the lower back and hips in people who took vitamin D..

medical-heal. en.