By David Liu, PHD

Sunday May 6, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new observational study in the Feb 8, 20122 issue of Diabetes care suggests that maintaining a high level of serum vitamin D may prevent people with pre-diabetes from developing diabetes.

The study led by Anastassios G. Pittas, MD, MS of Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts and colleagues showed that those who had their 25-hydroxyvitamin d in the highest tertile were 20 to 30 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes mellitus, compared to those in the lowest terile.

The researchers found the association after analysing data from a study of 1,022 prediabetes people in a placebo group and 1,017 prediabetes people in the lifestyle intervention group who participanted in the Diabetes Prevention Program that followed patients for nearly 3 years.

The study also found the association significant both in the placebo group and lifestyle intervention group ( 30 percent reduction in the placebo group and 20 percent reduction in the risk of diabetes in the lifestyle group.

The researchers concluded " Higher plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D, assessed repeatedly, was associated with lower risk of incident diabetes in high-risk patients, after adjusting for lifestyle interventions (dietary changes, increased physical activity, and weight loss) known to decrease diabetes risk.

Pre-diabetes by definition refers to a condition in which people have higher than normal levels of blood sugar in their blood, but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes.  The American Diabetes Association states on its website that an esitmated 75 Americans suffer pre-diabetes.

Diabetes can be one of the following three ocnditions including gestational diabetes, type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The most common one is type 2 diabetes. which affects an estimate 25 million men and women in the United States.

There is no cure for diabetes, but the disease is controllable.  Alternative physicians believe that diabetes in some cases at least can be reversed by following a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Statins, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), eating rice, processed meat, alcohol, obesity, flame retardants, are linked to higher risk for diabetes, but vitamin C, weight loss, garlic, eating fish and low fat dairy products, vitamin D, Meduterranean diate, breastfeeding, calorie restriction, green leafy vegetables, soy products among other tings may help reduce diabetes risk.