Thursday Dec 12, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- Taking vitamin D supplements may reduce risk of type  2diabetes mellitus, a study in diabetes Care suggests.

The study meta-analyzed data from previous studies and found men and women with the highest levels of serum vitamin D were at 38% reduced risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus, compared with those with the lowest serum levels of vitamin D.

Yiqing Song, MD, SCD from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts and colleagues conducted the study.

A meta-analysis of data from 21 prospective studies of 76220 men and women and 4,996 cases of type 2 diabetes cases revealed that lowest levels of 25(OH)D was associated with 38% elevated risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, compared with those having the highest levels.

The inverse association between higher vitamin D levels with lower type 2 diabetes mellitus was not affected by other factors including gender, duration of follow-up, study sample size, diagnostic criteria, or the vitamin D assay.

For each 10 nmol/L increment in 25(OH)D concentrations, a 4% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus was observed, which was significant statistically.

Diabetes mellitus can be easily prevented by taking dietary supplements such as cinnomon, curcumin and bitter melon.  An Indian stud revealed that taking 6 grams of curcumin daily for 3 months prevent prediabetes from progressing to become type 2 diabetes mellitus.  Other dietary intervention like caloric restriction may also help to prevent the health condition. (David Liu, PHD)