VITAMINA D Y DIABETES MELLITUS. PARTE 1

Abstract

Introduction: diabetes mellitus (DM) has become a major global public health problem. Vitamin D (VD) deficiency, on the other hand, has pandemic characteristics and its consequences go beyond its known effect on bone metabolism. The discovery of vitamin receptors in various tissues has led to increased interest in non-skeletal functions, many of which are related to the prevention and progression of DM. 25(OH) D is the main circulating form and is the most appropriate and most widely used marker for assessing the nutritional status of VD, since it reflects both endogenous production and intake of the vitamin. Objectives: as a Working Group we proposed to make a review of the topic VD and Diabetes. In this first part we analyzed the VD: metabolic aspects, food intake and controversies about the definition of adequate serum levels. Materials and methods: a bibliographic search was carried out using the PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Research Gate search engines. The search criteria were "vitamin D", "vitamin D and diabetes", "vitamin D functions, metabolism, sources" "vitamin D toxicity". Complete articles related to the topic were selected. The vitamin D content of foods was obtained from the Souci Fachmann Kraut and USDA food composition data bases. Conclusions: considering the scarce distribution of VD in natural foods, the low consumption of source foods in the Argentine population and the current recommendations to limit sun exposure due to skin cancer, it is necessary to have fortified foods for massive consumption, in addition to milk. Nutritional supplements offer a safe option to supplement the diet as long as serum levels are monitored. There is no consensus on reference levels for considering an individual deficient, although most authors agree on the need to maintain serum levels above 30 ng/ml.