Study the effectiveness and safety of vitamin D as an additional treatment for type 2 diabetic patients using oral anti-diabetics at a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of type 2 DM is alarmingly rising on a global scale. Improved treatments for type 2 DM are still needed, in order to slow the disease’s development. A role in the pathophysiology of type 2 DM has been suggested by the correlation between vitamin D insufficiency and several non-skeletal illnesses, including DM. The goal of the study was to determine if vitamin D supplementation may help type 2 DM patients whose glycemic status was uncontrolled even after using oral antidiabetics. Methods: 60 individuals with type 2 DM and vitamin D insufficiency participated in this 12-week open-label, before-and-after study. For 12 weeks, in addition to oral anti-diabetic medications, these patients also received 60,000 IU of vitamin D3 orally every week. HbA1c, FBS, and 25(OH)D levels parameters were included. Results: The majority of the patients were from 41-50 years of age group (48.3%) with a male predominance (60%). Most of them were having >1 year of type 2 DM duration (78.3%) with a high family history of type 2 DM (70%). After 12 weeks, there was a substantial (p<0.001*) drop in FBG levels and a significant (p<0.001*) decrease in HbA1c. 25(OH)D levels showed a high rise (p<0.001*). None of the patients had any side effects. Conclusions: Vitamin D treatment improves glycemic status, which slows the development of type 2 DM and its associated effects. As such, vitamin D supplementation is a safe and promising adjuvant treatment for individuals with type 2 diabetes who are low in vitamin D.