Vitamin D deficiency occurs in type 1 diabetes already at an early stage

Vitamin D "early supplement"?

Low vitamin D levels are a frequent accompanying phenomenon in type 1 diabetes. But even children who show more positive autoantibodies without overt diabetes, which is a precursor of type 1 diabetes have decreased vitamin D levels in the blood. In the course of the disease - from a prediabetes towards diabetes - this tendency is, however, not affecting, scientists of the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technische Universität München in the scientific journal, Diabetologia '.

Vitamin D is known as an important regulator of calcium balance and bone metabolism. In addition, it also affects the immune system. Previous studies have shown that when patients present with newly diagnosed type-1 diabetes significantly reduced vitamin D levels. The scientists from the Diabetes Research Institute (IDF), the Helmholtz Zentrum München, a partner at the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) and the Diabetes Research Group at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now been exploring the question of whether a vitamin D deficiency already in precursors of diabetes, defined by the presence of several diabetes-specific autoantibodies, occurs and how far the disease progression is affected by it.

Vitamin D is also missing in the early stages of diabetes

Children who did not yet have diabetes but had multiple positive autoantibodies in their blood had lower vitamin D levels than children without diabetes-specific antibodies. Interestingly, the differences in vitamin D values ​​were particularly evident in the summer months. This was the result of the analysis of data from the clinical diabetes studies BABYDIET, BABYDIAB, TEENDIAB and DIMELLI*. The scientists around Jennifer Raab, Dr. Christiane Winkler and Prof. Dr. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler measured 108 children with positive autoantibodies compared to 406 children without autoantibodies. Vitamin D was also decreased in 244 children recently diagnosed with diabetes.

Disease progression remains unaffected

The presence of several autoantibodies is considered a precursor to diabetes. Whether and when the disease breaks out does not seem to be related to vitamin D. Within the group of children with positive autoantibodies, some children developed type 1 diabetes at different speeds - but independently of their vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D "early supplement"?

“Vitamin D deficiency precedes type 1 diabetes. It is possible that this is already a consequence of the immune reaction,” says Prof. Ziegler. "We must therefore pay attention to the risk of vitamin D deficiency in children with prediabetes and think about recommendations to supplement vitamin D at an early stage."

Original publication:

Raab, J. et al. (2014): Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pre-type 1 diabetes and its association with disease progression, Diabetologia,

doi: 10.1007/s00125-014-3181-4

Link to the specialist publication.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00125-014-3181-4 

Source: Neuherberg [Helmholtz Zentrum München]