Health
U.S. to Test if Vitamin D Prevents Diabetes
[Xinhua English News]
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) — U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) said Monday that it’s to launch a large-scale clinical trial to investigate if a vitamin D supplement helps prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in adults who have prediabetes, and are at high risk for developing type 2.
The multiyear study will include about 2,500 people and its goal is to learn if vitamin D, specifically D3 (cholecalciferol), will reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in adults aged 30 or older with prediabetes.
People with prediabetes have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes.
“Vitamin D use has risen sharply in the U.S. in the last 15 years, since it has been suggested as a remedy for a variety of conditions, including prevention of type 2 diabetes,” said Myrlene Staten, Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d) project officer at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases ( NIDDK), part of the NIH.
