Abstract
AimTo examine whether low circulating vitamin C concentrations and low fruit and vegetable intakes were associated with insulin resistance and other Type 2 diabetes risk markers in childhood.MethodsWe conducted a cross‐sectional, school‐based study in 2025 UK children aged 9–10 years, predominantly of white European, South‐Asian and black African origin. A 24‐h dietary recall was used to assess fruit, vegetable and vitamin C intakes. Height, weight and fat mass were measured and a fasting blood sample collected to measure plasma vitamin C concentrations and Type 2 diabetes risk markers.ResultsIn analyses adjusting for confounding variables (including socio‐economic status), a one interquartile range higher plasma vitamin C concentration (30.9 μmol/l) was associated with a 9.6% (95% CI 6.5, 12.6%) lower homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance value, 0.8% (95% CI 0.4, 1.2%) lower fasting glucose, 4.5% (95% CI 3.2, 5.9%) lower urate and 2.2% (95% CI 0.9, 3.4%) higher HDL cholesterol. HbA1c concentration was 0.6% (95% CI 0.2, 1.0%) higher. Dietary fruit, vegetable and total vitamin C intakes were not associated with any Type 2 diabetes risk markers. Lower plasma vitamin C concentrations in South‐Asian and black African‐Caribbean children could partly explain their higher insulin resistance.ConclusionsLower plasma vitamin C concentrations are associated with insulin resistance and could partly explain ethnic differences in insulin resistance. Experimental studies are needed to establish whether increasing plasma vitamin C can help prevent Type 2 diabetes at an early stage.
Highlights
Type 2 diabetes is a major public health problem, both in the UK and globally, affecting increasingly young age groups [1]
In analyses adjusting for confounding variables, a one interquartile range higher plasma vitamin C concentration (30.9 lmol/l) was associated with a 9.6% lower homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance value, 0.8% lower fasting glucose, 4.5% lower urate and 2.2% higher HDL cholesterol
Vegetable and total vitamin C intakes were not associated with any Type 2 diabetes risk markers
Summary
Type 2 diabetes is a major public health problem, both in the UK and globally, affecting increasingly young age groups [1]. Recent studies of the relationships between vitamin C intake and Type 2 diabetes risk have failed to confirm the earlier association [7]. That low circulating vitamin C concentration (a more direct marker of vitamin C status than intake) is prospectively associated with increased Type 2 diabetes risk [8]. This association, if causal, could be important in explaining individual risk of Type 2 diabetes and ethnic differences in risk; UK South Asians have low circulating vitamin C concentrations [9] and are at high risk of Type 2 diabetes [10]
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