Vitamin D deficiency is known to be common among people with diabetes, and problems involving the heart and blood vessels, including high blood pressure, are also common. A team of researchers in Hong Kong set out to discover whether the vitamin deficiency and blood vessel difficulties could be associated. The results of their work were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism in March 2011.
Check out these related articles, too:
Zinc Shown to Promote Insulin Production In Diabetics
Prevent Side Effects From Diabetes Drugs
Why You Should Stop Taking Drugs for Your Diabetes
What Does It Mean To “Reverse Diabetes?”
Minerals That Lower Blood Glucose
Skin Problems Connected to Diabetes
What is the biggest contributor to diabetes?
Diabetes and Higher Than Normal Fasting Blood Sugar Levels
Two hundred and eighty people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes were recruited for this study:
- their blood levels of vitamin D were measured
- ultrasound pictures of their brachial artery, the artery in the arm where blood pressure is usually measured, were made
From these ultrasounds, the researchers were able to judge how well the blood was flowing through the arteries and how well the arteries expanded when the amount of blood flowing through them increased. It was found:
- vitamin D levels were related to HbA1c levels, which measure how well blood sugar is controlled
- any volunteers who had a vitamin D deficiency also had arteries that did not open well to accommodate blood when the blood flow increased
It was therefore concluded that low vitamin D levels could contribute to making the arteries unable to cope with large levels of blood flowing through them.
Raised or high blood pressure is very common in people who have Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetics have twice the risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) compared with a person of similar age with no diabetes.
If vitamin D deficiency keeps the blood vessels from being pliable enough to handle increasing blood flow, then the deficiency could be the cause of high blood pressure and heart disease. Imagine a freeway with cars driving along at a good pace, and then imagine more cars entering the lanes. Congestion results. Pliable arteries are able to expand to handle the increased flow, but if they are not pliable enough, congestion is the result. This congestion can cause high blood pressure and heart disease.
Diabetics need to keep up adequate supplies of vitamin D. According to another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in May 2004, vitamin D is a powerful antioxidant which increases insulin sensitivity by up to 60 percent... these figures are better than the number one diabetes drug prescribed for Type 2 diabetics... metformin.
So for Type 2 diabetics, vitamin D is one of the most important nutrients that can be taken as most people who have diabetes are deficient in it. So that you know, some of the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include:
- muscle aches
- muscle weakness
- fatigue, and
- bone pain
Using chemical sunscreens, especially those with a SPF rating higher than 8, are known to prevent your body from creating healthy forms of vitamin D. If you find you are vitamin D deficient, the best form of vitamin D to take is vitamin D3 which is also known as cholecalciferol.
To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments
Clicking on this link will help you to learn more about Type 2 Diabetes Solutions... Beverleigh Piepers RN... the Diabetes Detective.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6103381
Protected by Patchstack