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Transcript of “The connection between vitamin D levels and diabetes”

Researchers have uncovered a startling relationship between vitamin D and diabetes – there finding up ends the idea that diabetes is caused by obesity.

Diabetes IS IN YOUR GENES.

To avoid it, you MUST avoid packing on the pounds. And if you’re sporting extra kilograms, you must drain them, sooner rather than later.

Because OBESITY “causes” DIABETES.

Sort of……………

There are exceptions both ways.

• Skinny diabetes.
• Perfectly healthy morbidly obese folks. New one

The EXCEPTIONS are more than just inconvenient – they suggest there is more to the obesity/diabetes epidemics, than just people eating too much and moving too little.

A group of Spanish researchers have uncovered a startling relationship between vitamin D and diabetes. To summarize their finding…..

LOW Vitamin D “causes” DIABETES. Obesity has nothing to do with DIABETES.

Now if you’re one of the millions of people, who to all intents and purposes feels like you’re “DESTINED” to be diabetic, this research is the kind of research, that should get you sitting up and taking notice.

The reason………

Your vitamin D status is something YOU have control over.

It’s definitely easier to fix, than losing twenty kilograms ! You don’t have to resist any sweet temptations. 497

Uncovering the connection

So how did the Spanish team reach this staggering conclusion ?

They tracked the vitamin D status of 118 people – some fat, some thin, some in between. But, they added an additional dimension to their study, they also tested everyone’s ability to “handle” carbs. EVERYONE, the fatties and the skinnies.

They did this, using two standard assays

• They looked at glucose fasting levels and
• They calculated the HOMA-IR, which uses fasting insulin and fasting glucose levels, to calculate the level of insulin resistance.

The vitamin D connection

They did find the fatties had bigger issues with carbohydrate metabolism, when they had issues, but it wasn’t only the fatties with carbohydrate issues. Only fifteen out of the 27 morbidly obese people (56 %) had a glucose metabolism, that was considered ABNORMAL.  In the skinny club, this figure was 52 % (16/31), in my books, that’s not really different.

Eish !

Being overweight is clearly not a requirement for metabolic troubles.

When the vitamin D data was added into the mix…………………….. the pattern was clear.

People with disturbed carbohydrate metabolism, had lower vitamin D levels – it had nothing to do with BMI.

How could this be ?

Connecting the dots

Vitamin D is a major player……………..

Beta cells, the little guys in the pancreas that are tasked with producing insulin, are definitely influenced by vitamin D, both directly through their vitamin D receptor and indirectly, through calcium metabolism.

And in diabetes, it is these guys that FAIL. They fail to produce the amount of insulin needed to keep glucose levels in the normal range. In type 2 diabetes, the failure is precipitated by the extra-ordinary insulin requirement, brought on by the phenomenon of insulin resistance.

But, it’s not just beta cells that are under the spell of vitamin D.   Fat cells (adipocytes) are also under it’s sway. They also have a vitamin D receptors.

What does this mean ?                                     

Anyone who knows a little bit about science and epidemiology will be saying something like….

Association doesn’t mean causation

So it isn’t time to stop being “concerned” about your weight.

But, in addition to weight watching, you might also want to watch your vitamin D status. Translated………………….. spend some time in the SUN.

It is good for you.

You need a little UVB exposure to turn the cholesterol in your skin to vitamin D, and as an added bonus, you’ll charge up your nitric oxide battery.

And as long as you don’t stay in the sun too long, you can’t overdo it.

For the sun shy

If spending a little bit of time in the sun is NOT an option. Both geography and fear can be contributing factors. Then do what you can, to keep your vitamin D levels within the normal ranges.

Options include supplementing or getting a vitamin D shot, use your lab tests as a guide to how much you need.

NOTE : Since you’re having trouble metabolizing carbs, cut your pancreas some slack and eat less carbs. It’s the carbs that are turning to fat and spiking your sugar levels.

Further reading

Interested in learning more about the chemistry behind those extra fat layers ?

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