Vitamin D Helps Balance Blood Sugar & Reduce Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Diabetes is a complex metabolic health disorder, but research has revealed one nutritional technique that can help prevent the progression of prediabetes to diabetes, reduce Type 2 diabetes risk, and even lessen symptoms: increasing your vitamin D intake.

According to a 2022 Diabetes study, vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is exceedingly common in diabetes patients, affecting 49% of the total Type 2 diabetes population and 57% of women.

Recent studies have also demonstrated that increasing vitamin D intake can help support healthy glycemic control—especially for individuals with vitamin D deficiency that struggle with prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes. 

According to a 2017 review in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, animal studies demonstrate that 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (i.e., the active hormonal form of vitamin D3) has the vital role of stimulating pancreatic beta cells3 (where insulin is produced and stored) to secrete insulin. 

As the body's metabolic hormone, insulin helps modulate protein, carbohydrate, and fat metabolism, as well as facilitate healthy blood glucose levels. In Type 2 diabetes patients, the pancreas and cells have trouble regulating healthy insulin production and utilization.

That said, reaching healthy vitamin D levels is sometimes easier said than done. Getting adequate vitamin D from food and safe sun exposure is nearly impossible, which leaves one effective method of increasing daily vitamin D intake: quality supplementation.