Modest increases in serum calcidiol may improve T2DM‐related health outcomes in non‐white, ethnically diverse, postmenopausal women (LB327)

Abstract

Mounting evidence suggests a crucial role for vitamin D status in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), since vitamin D promotes the survival and function of pancreatic β‐cells. Our objectives were to examine the correlation between serum calcidiol and diabetes‐related health outcomes, and to determine whether vitamin D3 and calcium supplementation would attenuate the severity of T2DM. In this pilot study, 11 non‐white, ethnically diverse (Caribbean, Black, South Asian), post‐menopausal women with T2DM (age, 61 ± 11 y) were supplemented for 3 y with either placebo or 1800 IU of vitamin D3 + 720 mg of calcium (CaD)/day. Spearman’s rank coefficient was used to examine the correlations between serum calcidiol and the different outcome measures. Per‐protocol and retrospective analyses were adopted to determine the effect of CaD on the outcome measures. Significance was established at P 蠄 0.10. The relative change over 3 y in serum calcidiol significantly correlated with the relative change in body weight (r = ‐0.736, P = 0.005), BMI (r = ‐0.736, P = 0.005), body fat (%) (r = ‐0.445, P = 0.085), hip circumference (r = ‐0.664, P = 0.013), serum TC/HDL‐C (r = ‐0.427, P = 0.095), serum PTH (r = ‐0.655, P = 0.014), and serum calcium (r = 0.500, P = 0.059). Retrospective analysis showed differences between the CaD vs. placebo in serum calcidiol (+41.7% vs. ‐30.3%, respectively, P = 0.004), hip circumference (‐3.25% vs. +0.32%, respectively, P = 0.052), systolic blood pressure (‐1.5% vs. +12.0%, respectively, P = 0.126), and serum PTH (‐30.8% vs. ‐3.1 %, respectively, P = 0.003). We conclude that modest increases in serum calcidiol may improve T2DM‐related health outcomes in non‐white, ethnically diverse, postmenopausal women.