> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Got insulin resistance? Vitamin d supplements can help
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/vitamin_d_supplements_improves_insulin_resistance_0814110805/
- Published: 2011-08-14T09:04:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T15:48:55.000Z
- Description: In a six-month randomized trial of 81 South Asian women with insulin resistance, 4,000 IU of vitamin D a day raised average blood levels from 21 to 75 nmol/L and improved insulin sensitivity, with benefit maximized above 80 nmol/L. Insulin secretion was unaffected.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Diabetes, Avoiding Illness, Vitamin D, Insulin Resistance, #vivvo-import

By David Liu, Ph.D.

Sunday Aug 14, 2011 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new trial reported in the British Journal of Nutrition suggests that taking vitamin D supplements may help improve insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity.

The study led by P.R. von Hurst and colleagues of Massey University in Auckland Australia found that in a group of women increasing the average serum level of vitamin D from 21 to 75 nmol/L drastically improved insulin sensitivity and reduced insulin resistance.

The study involved 81 South Asian women aged 23 to 68 years with insulin resistance, homeostasis model assessment 1 greater than 1.93 and serum vitamin d level less than 50 nmol/L. Subjects did not take vitamin d supplements if any in a dose of no more 25 microg or 1000 IU/d.

For the study, 42 subjects were given 100 microg or 4000 IU of vitamin D per day while 39 subjects received a placebo as controls. The randomized, controlled, double-blind trial lasted six months.

The researchers also found improvement of insulin resistance was maximized when serum vitamin D levels reached or exceed 80 nmol/L. The vitamin D supplementation did not affect insulin secretion.

The recipe to improve your insulin resistance is thus as follows:

Taking vitamin D in a dose of 4000 IU per day for six months.

The target serum level: 80 to 115 nmol/L

People with insulin resistance can produce insulin, but their bodies do not use insulin properly. Insulin resistance boosts the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus and heart disease.