Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. In 118 type 2 diabetics, those taking calcium and vitamin D had a 56.7% decrease in LDL (bad) cholesterol.

By the year 2030, the worldwide prevalence of diabetes is expected to increase by 51%, from 366 million people in 2011 to 552 million people, 90% of which will be type 2 diabetes (1). The latest statistics show there are 25.8 million Americans with diabetes, incurring a $174 billion annual cost to our healthcare system (2).

According the Centers for Disease Control, consuming the following foods are a way to help maintain healthy blood control: foods made with whole grains like breakfast cereals, oatmeal, whole grain rice, and whole-wheat bread, as well as dark green/orange vegetables, and beans and peas (3). Now a new study (4) suggests that supplementing with both calcium and vitamin D may be beneficial.

The study involved 118 type 2 diabetics (58 men, 60 women) between the ages of 43 and 58 and taking diabetes medication. They were divided into 4 groups for 8 weeks:

• 50,000 IU per week vitamin D (no calcium) = 29 subjects
• 1,000 mg per day calcium (no vitamin D) = 29 subjects
• 50,000 IU per week vitamin D + 1,000 mg per day calcium = 30 subjects
• Placebo (control group) = 30 subjects

Blood samples were taken before and after the study. After 8 weeks, the researchers noted the following:

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For the researchers, “joint calcium–vitamin D supplementation [diabetes medication] might further help people with diabetes to control their glycemic profiles.”

Source: Tabesh, Marjan, Leila Azadbakht, Elham Faghihimani, Maryam Tabesh, and Ahmad Esmaillzadeh. “Effects of calcium–vitamin D co-supplementation on metabolic profiles in vitamin D insufficient people with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled clinical trial.” Diabetologia 57, no. 10 (2014): 2038-2047.

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014

Posted January 22, 2014.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com

References:

1. Whiting DR, Guariguata L, Weil C, Shaw J. IDF diabetes atlas: global estimates of the prevalence of diabetes for 2011 and 2030. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2011;94:311–21.
2. “2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet” posted on the CDC website
3. “Eat Right” posted on the CDC Website
4. Tabesh M. Effects of calcium–vitamin D co-supplementation on metabolic profiles in vitamin D insufficient people with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled clinical trial. Diabetologia 2014 Oct;57(10):2038-47. doi: 10.1007/s00125-014-3313-x. Epub 2014 Jul 10.