A new study looked at how vitamin D deficiency might be linked to diabetes. What the researchers discovered was surprising.
The researchers then measured each of the patients’ vitamin D levels.
They found that low vitamin D levels may be a stronger indicator of diabetes than obesity. Obese patients without diabetes had higher vitamin D levels than subjects at a healthy weight who did have diabetes. Vitamin D may be key in protecting us from diabetes.
Study author Manuel Macías-González, PhD said, “Our findings indicate that vitamin D is associated more closely with glucose metabolism than obesity.” He suggests that obesity and vitamin D deficiency work together “to heighten the risk of diabetes and other metabolic disorders. The average person may be able to reduce their risk by maintaining a healthy diet and getting enough outdoor activity.”
The best way to find out whether your vitamin D levels are low is to ask your doctor to do a simple blood test. If you’re deficient or if you have low vitamin D levels, your doctor may recommend that you take a vitamin D supplement.
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If you’re vegan or vegetarian, it’s important to know that not all vitamin D supplements are created equal. In general, vitamin D2 is plant-based, and vitamin D3 comes from animal sources. But! There are plant-based vitamin D3 supplements out there made from lichen. Doctors tend to lean toward a D3 supplement, because this form of vitamin D is more readily absorbed, so it might be worth tracking down a plant-based D3 supplement to help get your levels up.
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