الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Although the role of vitamin D in helping to regulate blood glucose remains poorly understood, vitamin D status appears to play a role in the development and treatment of diabetes. It is possible that optimal levels of serum vitamin D may be different for people at risk for developing diabetes, those with diabetes, and those without diabetes. According to Danescu et al., “both animal and human studies support the notion that adequate vitamin D supplementation may decrease the incidence of type 1 and possibly also of type 2 diabetes mellitus and may improve the metabolic control in the diabetes state. However, the exact mechanisms are not clear and need further investigation.” The published literature supports a possible role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis and prevention of diabetes. Vitamin D deficiency appears to be detrimental to beta-cell function, and leads to glucose intolerance in animal models and humans, consequently, type 2 diabetes. Vitamin D deficiency in early life predisposes NOD mice and humans to the later development of autoimmune diabetes. Several vitamin D related genes have shown association with different pathogenetic traits of the disease. Vitamin D and its related metabolic and immune pathways may be involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes at environmental and genetic levels. Studies on vitamin D supplementation on prevention of diabetes are inconclusive. However robust clinical data is required to support a role for vitamin D supplementation in the prevention of diabetes. There is no doubt that vitamin D plays a vital physiological role in the human body. While associations between insufficient and deficient levels of vitamin D and poorer health outcomes have been established, the relationship between vitamin D and chronic pain is less well understood. Indeed, no definitive mechanism exists to explain |