Sunday, March 30, 2014

Vitamin D helps to reduce diabetes risk in obese kids!

Recent informative news is that Vitamin D may lower diabetes risk in obese kids which is a recent article in The Indian Express. Obesity in children puts them to greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. According to University of Missouri researchers studies, 35 pre-diabetic obese children and adolescents were undergoing treatment in MU Adolescent Diabetic Obesity Programme.

The scientists had told in the article that Vitamin D supplements help obese kids and adolescents control their blood sugar levels which helps stave off diabetes.

Catherine Peterson, an associate professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at MU  told “By increasing vitamin D intake alone, we got a response that was nearly as powerful as what we have seen using a prescription drug”. Peterson had told that they saw a decrease in insulin levels, which means better glucose control, despite no changes in body weight, dietary intake or physical activity.

When the children are given supplements they get sufficient vitamin D and the amount of insulin in their blood is lowered.  Peterson said, "The vitamin D dosage we gave to the obese adolescents in our study is not something I would recommend for everyone”. Also Vitamin D helps to maintain healthy bones, muscles and nerves.  Our body gets vitamin D not only through diet or supplements also through body exposure in sunlight.

Peterson said that Vitamin D deficiency is common; however it can be harmful to obese people. Also he said “What makes vitamin D insufficiency different in obese individuals is that they process vitamin D about half as efficiently as normal-weight people".

So Peterson said, “Obese children and teens are advised to take vitamin D food to lower the chance of developing diabetes and avoid the side effects that might come from taking medicines to control their blood sugar”. The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Source from 'Vitamin D may lower diabetes risk in obese kids in The Indian Express'

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