People with lower levels of vitamin D circulating in their bloodstream are at higher risk of developing diabetes, reveals a study, which followed more than 5,000 people for 5 years.
Researchers found that those, with lower than average vitamin D levels had a 57% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to people with levels in the recommended range.

      "Studies like ours have suggested that blood levels of vitamin D higher than what is recommended for bone health may be necessary to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes," said lead author Dr. Claudia Gagnon, a fellow at the Western Hospital at the University of Melbourne in Australia where the study was done.

      To check whether circulating D levels and calcium consumption influenced insulin sensitivity and diabetes risk, Gagnon's team measured the vitamin D blood levels of 5,200 people without diabetes. After 5 years, about 200 of them had developed diabetes, and the researchers measured everyone's vitamin D levels again.

      The researchers found that twice as many people (6 in 100) with low blood levels of vitamin D later developed diabetes, compared to those with blood levels in the normal range (3 in 100).

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