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Vitamin D And Diabetes

Vitamin D and diabetes are not widely associated with one another, yet the levels of vitamin D and sugar present in a person’s blood are often closely correlated. This might explain why we are currently seeing record numbers of people being diagnosed with diabetes, at around 14% of the world’s population, as studies have found roughly 50% of people have vitamin D levels below the optimal range, and 20% suffer from a vitamin D deficiency.

This means many people could combat or control their condition using a widely available nutrient, if only they knew how. That is why we wrote this article: to put the power back in your hands and help you manage your blood sugar without relying on potentially dangerous diabetes medications.

Table of Contents

What Is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is an essential, fat-soluble vitamin also called cholecalciferol and “the sunshine vitamin” that is required for many functions in the human body to occur. Evidence shows the average person needs at least 10 to 20 mcg of vitamin D daily for their body to maintain optimal health and functions (1).

Widely available in foods, drinks, and supplements, increasing your daily vitamin D intake offers countless health benefits. This includes reducing the risk of influenza, improving bone, brain, heart, and immune system health and functions, energy and testosterone production and levels, male sexual health, blood sugar levels, muscle strength, and bone density, and helping combat depression and many other health issues.

In this article, we are only examining how vitamin D combats diabetes. If you want to learn more about any of the other health benefits it offers, though, we’ve published two articles that cover them all in great depth, which you can read here and here.

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by elevated levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood due to the body’s inability to produce enough insulin or effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar by allowing glucose to enter cells for energy. There are two main types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type II.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body destroys insulin-producing cells, and Type II diabetes results from insulin resistance and often develops over time due to factors like obesity, inactivity, and a poor diet. If left unmanaged, both types of diabetes can lead to serious complications such as heart disease, kidney damage, nerve damage, and vision problems (2).

Vitamin D And Diabetes: How Does Vitamin D Help Regulate Blood Sugar Levels?

Enhances Insulin Secretion

Vitamin D is vital for regulating the production of insulin, the hormone that controls your blood sugar levels. This is due to the fact that vitamin D receptors are present on the pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin. Maintaining adequate vitamin D levels will improve the function of these beta cells, enhancing insulin secretion when blood sugar rises, to help combat the issue as quickly as possible (3).

Improves Insulin Sensitivity

Vitamin D doesn’t just increase the production of insulin; it also improves insulin sensitivity in cells. This makes it easier for the body to use glucose effectively, which can lead to lower blood sugar levels and better glucose control. It will also prevent or combat insulin resistance, which is the inability of the body to use insulin correctly and is one of the primary causes of diabetes (3).

Regulates Glucose Metabolism Genes

There is evidence that links increased vitamin D levels with improved production of some of the genes involved in glucose metabolism, such as G6PC2, GCK, GCKR, ENO2, TPI1, DDIT4, GYS1, and GYS2. While it is currently unclear to what degree vitamin D impacts each individual gene, the fact that it enhances the group as a whole means it will improve your body’s ability to metabolise glucose, thus keeping your blood sugar levels down (4).

Reduces Inflammation

Vitamin D is known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties that combat free radicals and stop them from causing oxidative stress and damage or inflammation. This is mainly due to vitamin D’s immunomodulatory properties, which reduce the production of inflammatory molecules and cytokines, including TNF-alpha, IL-1, and IL-6, while improving the production of macrophages and anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1RA.

Chronic inflammation is a common cause of both insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. By modulating the production of these signalling proteins, Vitamin D can help reduce systemic inflammation and improve insulin action, allowing it to manage your blood sugar levels more effectively (5).

Check out our article on Vitamin D and Inflammation here

Modulates Calcium Levels in Cells

Proper calcium balance is important for insulin-mediated actions in the body’s tissues. Vitamin D helps regulate intracellular calcium and blood calcium levels by improving calcium absorption and working with the parathyroid hormone to control how much calcium is taken from the bones or excreted by the kidneys. This will support effective glucose transport into cells, keeping your blood sugar levels as close to optimal as possible (6).

Prevents Fat Storage

Increased body fat, especially visceral fat (fat around internal organs), can raise blood sugar levels directly while also causing other issues that contribute to high blood sugar, such as insulin resistance, inflammation, poor hormone function, and increased liver fat and glucose production. Vitamin D helps to reduce fat storage and, as a result, your blood sugar levels, through multiple mechanisms.

Learn about Vitamin D and muscle building here

First, in addition to insulin, it influences the production of hormones like leptin and adiponectin that control hunger, help you feel satiated, prevent overeating, and even directly reduce the amount of fat you store after eating. Second, it downregulates PPARγ (Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma), a key gene involved in fat cell growth, which reduces the formation of new fat cells (adipogenesis) and promotes fat breakdown. Finally, it promotes lipolysis (the breakdown of stored fat for energy and improves mitochondrial function to make food easier to turn into energy (7)(8).