Vitamin D and type 2 diabetes

Vitamin D has been reported to have a variety of non-skeletal actions, including on glucose metabolism. There has been increasing evidence from animal and human studies, to suggest that vitamin D may be important in modifying risk of type 2 diabetes. Vitamin D is thought to have both direct (through activation of the vitamin D receptor) and indirect (via regulation of calcium homeostasis) effects on various mechanisms related to the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes, including pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction, impaired insulin action, and systemic inflammation. The evidence from human studies comes primarily from cross-sectional and a few prospective observational studies showing an inverse association between vitamin D status and prevalence or incidence of type 2 diabetes. While there is paucity of trials that have specifically examined the role of vitamin D in prevention or treatment of type 2 diabetes, vitamin D therapy is emerging as a feasible and cost-effective potential intervention for type 2 diabetes. © Humana Press Inc. 2009.