Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Diabetes. Oct 15, 2023; 14(10): 1514-1523
Published online Oct 15, 2023. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v14.i10.1514
Effects of vitamin D supplementation on glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and risk factors for insulin resistance
Li-Jie Sun, Ji-Xuan Lu, Xin-Yu Li, Tian-Sheng Zheng, Xiao-Rong Zhan
Li-Jie Sun, Ji-Xuan Lu, Xin-Yu Li, Xiao-Rong Zhan, Department of Endocrinology, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, Heilongjiang Province, China
Tian-Sheng Zheng, Xiao-Rong Zhan, Department of Endocrinology, Southern University of Science and Technology Hospital, Shenzhen 518071, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Zhan XR conceived and designed the study; Sun LJ, Lu JX, Li XY, and Zheng TS collected the data; Sun LJ and Zhan XR analyzed the findings; Sun LJ and Lu JX wrote the manuscript; and all authors revised and approved the final version.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethical Committees of the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University.
Informed consent statement: All patient data obtained, recorded, and managed only used for this study, and all patient information are strictly confidential, without any harm to the patient, so the informed consent was waived by the Ethics Committee of First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xiao-Rong Zhan, MD, Chief Doctor, Professor, Department of Endocrinology, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, No. 199 Dazhi Street, Nangang District, Harbin 150001, Heilongjiang Province, China. xiaorongzhandoctor@126.com
Received: June 20, 2023
Peer-review started: June 20, 2023
First decision: July 7, 2023
Revised: July 19, 2023
Accepted: August 15, 2023
Article in press: August 15, 2023
Published online: October 15, 2023
Processing time: 111 Days and 3.9 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

This study was founded on the understanding of the crucial role of insulin resistance (IR) in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A lack of insulin sensitivity in the body leads to increased insulin secretion by the pancreas, triggering hyperinsulinemia, and affecting the efficiency of glucose intake, ultimately leading to metabolic disorders.

Research motivation

Given that these metabolic disorders underlie several other conditions such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronary heart diseases, and obesity, finding effective ways to improve IR is a critical part of treating T2DM and preventing related diseases. The motivation was to evaluate risk factors for IR and study the effects of vitamin D supplementation on glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with T2DM and IR.

Research objectives

To identify independent risk factors for IR in T2DM patients and investigate the effects of vitamin D supplementation on their glucose and lipid metabolism.

Research methods

The study carried out a comprehensive evaluation of risk factors for IR in T2DM patients, including parameters like BMI, TG, HDL-C, 25(OH)D3, 2hPG, and HbA1c. Furthermore, it explored the impact of vitamin D supplementation on glucose and lipid metabolism in T2DM patients with IR.

Research results

The study found that BMI, TG, HDL-C, 25(OH)D3, 2hPG, and HbA1c were independent risk factors for IR. After vitamin D supplementation, the test group showed notable decreases in 2hPG, FBG, HbA1c and a notable increase in 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D3), as well as lower TG and TC levels but higher HDL-C level than the control group.

Research conclusions

Patients with IR exhibit significant abnormalities in glucose and lipid metabolism parameters compared to the non-insulin-resistant group. The study concluded that 25(OH)D3 is an independent risk factor influencing IR and supplementation of vitamin D has been shown to improve glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with IR and T2DM.

Research perspectives

While promising, the study has some limitations including the need for long-term patient prognosis and the possibility of bias due to it being a single-center study with limited participants. Further clinical experiments are needed to verify and improve the research conclusions, especially to assess the long-term efficacy of vitamin D supplementation.