Dietary compounds beneficially associated with maternal obesity and inflammation in gestational diabetes

Diabetes type 1 | Diabetes type 2

Summary Gestational diabetes, which involves maternal obesity, oxidative stress, and inflammation, is a common pregnancy complication. Several dietary compounds have shown beneficial effects on diabetes and inflammation. Two American research departments summarized knowledge from studies evaluating the associations between nutritional components (including antioxidant vitamins and minerals), maternal obesity, oxidative stress, and inflammation in women with…

Women with gestational diabetes have lower vitamin D levels than healthy pregnant women

Diabetes type 1 | Diabetes type 2

Summary In the present study, vitamin D levels, inflammation indicators, and glucose (sugar) levels were compared between pregnant women with gestational diabetes and pregnant women with a normal response to glucose sugar. The results included significantly lower vitamin D levels in women with gestational diabetes. A significant negative correlation was also observed between vitamin D…

Dietary supplementation for gestational diabetes prevention and management

Diabetes type 1 | Diabetes type 2

Summary This review by the Chinese University of Hong Kong evaluated the efficacy of various dietary supplements on gestational diabetes risk. 53 trials were reviewed with a total of 9443 participants. The researchers’ analysis found that vitamin D and inositol supplementation was particularly successful in reducing the risk of gestational diabetes. Additionally, inositol, probiotics, and…

Combination of calcium and vitamin D beneficially affects pregnant women with gestational diabetes

Diabetes type 1 | Diabetes type 2

Summary To assess the effects of calcium and vitamin D on women with gestational diabetes, 60 participants with this condition received either a combined calcium and vitamin D supplement or a placebo for 6 weeks. In the supplementation group, a significant decrease in cesarean section rate, maternal hospitalization, and hospitalization of newborns were found as…

Relationship between vitamin D status and vascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes

Diabetes type 2

Summary Scientists from a medical university in South Korea investigated the association between vitamin D levels and vascular complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. A total of 257 patients with diabetic vascular complications were recruited. Patients were categorized into three groups according to their vitamin D status. In both men and women, patients with…

Low concentrations of trace elements in young patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Diabetes type 2

Summary This study, executed by the university of Shiraz, Iran, compared the concentration of essential trace elements, including zinc and chromium, in 20 type 2 diabetes patients versus 20 nondiabetic participants. The results showed that the levels of the measured trace elements were significantly lower in the blood of diabetes patients as compared with the…

Relationship between vitamin D levels, bone condition and Parkinson’s disease symptoms

Parkinson's disease

Summary This Chinese study aimed to determine whether vitamin D levels correlate with the conditions of bones and various symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The study included 182 patients with Parkinson’s disease and 185 healthy people. The scientists detected significantly lower vitamin D levels in patients with Parkinson’s disease than in healthy participants. Furthermore,…

Vitamin D improves balance control in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson's disease

Summary Balance problems and falls are major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Two research centers in Oregon, USA, therefore investigated the relationship of vitamin D supplementation on balance control and fall reduction. To this end, balance function and vitamin D concentrations were determined by balance tests and blood analyzes. Vitamin…

Dietary intake of antioxidant vitamins beneficially affects risk of Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson's disease

Summary This study, executed by the University of Osaka, Japan, investigated the relationship between the dietary intake of selected antioxidant vitamins, vegetables, and fruits and the risk of Parkinson’s disease in Japan. 249 patients and 368 people without neurodegenerative diseases participated in this study. Dietary intake was recorded by questionnaires. The results showed that higher…

Benefits of vitamins in the treatment of Parkinson’s

Parkinson's disease

Summary This review, conducted by three Chinese research departments, summarized the biological correlations between vitamins and Parkinson’s disease and the underlying mechanisms and therapeutic potential of vitamins for this disease. Current clinical evidence indicates that proper supplementation of various vitamins can reduce the incidence of Parkinson’s in the general population and improve the clinical symptoms…

Vitamin D deficiency related to Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson's disease

Summary Vitamin D has various functions in the human body. For instance, it is involved in calcium metabolism and associated with many health conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. Several findings, which are summarized in this review, indicate a relationship between Parkinson’s disease and inadequate vitamin D levels, resulting in brain dysfunction involved in Parkinson’s disease. More…

Combined omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E supplementation has favorable effects on Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson's disease

Summary Iranian researchers performed a study to evaluate the effects of a combined supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E on Parkinson’s disease. The clinical trial was conducted with 60 patients randomly assigned into two groups receiving either omega-3 fatty acids plus vitamin E (30 patients) or a placebo (30 patients) for 12 weeks.…

Vitamin B1 for the prevention and treatment of early-stage diabetic nephropathy

Diabetes type 2

Summary Vitamin B1 (thiamine) supplementation may prevent and reverse early-stage diabetic nephropathy (deterioration of kidney function) by correcting several diabetes-related mechanisms and helping counter the adverse effects of high glucose concentrations. This review by a British research institute discusses the role of vitamin B1 therapy in preventing and treating early-stage diabetic nephropathy. Evidence from studies…

Vitamin D, C, and E in the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Diabetes type 2

Summary Inflammation resulting from oxidative stress and an imbalance of the (innate) immune system has been associated with obesity and other complaints related to the development and progression of diabetes type 2 (e.g., insulin resistance). Reducing oxidative stress levels could therefore be an option to improve diabetes-related complaints. This review, executed by the Public Health…

Folic acid beneficially affects various factors influencing oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes

Diabetes type 2

Summary Widely used conventional diabetes drugs decrease vitamin B12 and folate levels and increase homocysteine, a substance involved in many metabolic processes. Together with high blood glucose levels, an abnormally high homocysteine level in the blood induces oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes. This trial determined the effects of folate supplementation on homocysteine concentration and…

Higher magnesium intake reduces risk of impaired glucose and insulin metabolism and progression from prediabetes to diabetes

Diabetes type 2

Summary This trial, executed by American researchers, aimed to assess associations between magnesium intake and prediabetes and/or diabetes-related symptoms (e.g., insulin resistance). The progression from these states to type 2 diabetes was also evaluated. 2582 participants, 26 to 81 years old at the start, were involved. This 7-year trial showed that participants with the highest…

Immune cells beneficially influence glucose levels in diabetes patients after vitamin D treatment

Diabetes type 1

Summary The function of specific immune cells influences type 1 diabetes. Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in type 1 diabetes and can aggravate immune dysfunction. In contrast, high-dose vitamin D treatment may enhance the function of immune cells and improve metabolism in type 1 diabetes patients. In this German trial, patients received either a…

Type 1 diabetes patients: more stable glucose levels and lower insulin needs through vitamin D3 supplementation

Diabetes type 1

Summary Large fluctuations in glucose (sugar) levels could influence the risk of complications in type 1 diabetes patients. This study, executed by a Brazilian university hospital, aimed to evaluate these fluctuations and insulin needs in type 1 diabetes patients supplemented with vitamin D. 22 study participants received 4000 IU/day (100 µg) and 10000 IU/day (250…

Vitamin D treatment improves vascular function in adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Diabetes type 1

Summary Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in adolescents with type 1 diabetes and is associated with diabetes-related vascular complications in adulthood. This trial, conducted by Canadian and Israelian researchers, aimed to assess the effect of vitamin D treatment on vascular function and kidney inflammation among these patients. 31 adolescents with type 1 diabetes and low…

Vitamin D supplementation improves glucose levels and inflammation parameters in women with gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes

Summary This Iranian study aimed to evaluate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on metabolic characteristics and inflammation levels (CRPs) in gestational diabetes patients. 76 pregnant women with gestational diabetes were assigned to receive either four oral treatments consisting of 50,000 IU (1250 µg) of vitamin D3 (38 women) or a placebo (38 women) once…

Gestational diabetes: Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids beneficially affect inflammation, oxidative stress and pregnancy outcomes

Gestational diabetes

Summary This study aimed to determine the effects of a micronutrient combination containing vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids on indicators of inflammation, oxidative stress, and pregnancy outcomes in gestational diabetes patients. 120 participants were randomly divided into different groups receiving omega-3 fatty acids and/or vitamin D and/or placebos. The results showed significantly lower inflammation…

Vitamin D deficiency and high glucose levels associated with severe diabetic retinopathy

Diabetes type 1 | Diabetes type 2

Summary This study, conducted by a Chinese medical university, evaluated the association between vitamin D deficiency and retinopathy severity in diabetic patients. The study used data from several surveys to evaluate associations between retinopathy severity and long-term glucose (HbA1c) levels. The interaction between the regulation of long-term glucose levels, vitamin D deficiency, and retinopathy severity…

Vitamin D deficiency in patients with type 2 diabetes and its relation to retinopathy

Diabetes type 2

Summary This study, executed by researchers from Bahrain, evaluated the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and its relationship with the severity of diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease caused by high glucose (sugar) levels. 300 patients with type 2 diabetes were divided into three groups: no diabetic retinopathy, non-proliferative,…

Magnesium supplementation improves glucose metabolism in people with or at risk of diabetes

Diabetes type 2

Summary This review by Italian and British researchers aimed to investigate the effect of magnesium on glucose (sugar) and insulin parameters in people with diabetes or at high risk of this condition. 18 trials were analyzed, which showed that magnesium treatment reduced fasting glucose levels in diabetes patients. Furthermore, magnesium supplementation significantly improved glucose levels…

High-dose vitamin D supplementation benefits pregnant women with gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes

Summary Vitamin D influences diverse metabolic functions in the body. This study, conducted by a university hospital in Shanghai, China, aimed to determine the effects of various doses of vitamin D on glucose metabolism, inflammation, and oxidative stress levels of pregnant women with gestational diabetes. The patients – 133 pregnant women – were randomly divided…

Oral magnesium supplementation prevents diabetic complaints in non-diabetic subjects

Diabetes type 2

Summary German researchers investigated the effect of oral magnesium supplementation on metabolic characteristics like insulin sensitivity (related to diabetes type 2) in non-diabetic patients with overweight. Subjects underwent a glucose test and were allocated to receive either a magnesium supplement (27 subjects) or a placebo (25 subjects) for 6 months. Several parameters were determined, like…

Dietary supplement including zinc and minerals/multivitamins has beneficial effects on glucose and lipid regulation

Diabetes type 2

Summary A hospital in Sri Lanka conducted a trial to evaluate the effects of a zinc supplement taken with or without other antioxidants on blood glucose levels and various lipid parameters in adult diabetics. 96 patients were randomly allocated to three groups: group A (29 patients) was supplemented with oral zinc (22 mg/day) and a…

Magnesium improves function of insulin-producing cells in magnesium-deficient non-diabetic individuals

Diabetes type 2

Summary The objective of this trial was to determine whether oral magnesium supplementation improves the function of insulin-producing cells (beta cells in the pancreas) in non-diabetic individuals with magnesium deficiency. Non-diabetic participants with normal blood pressure and low magnesium levels received either magnesium (54 participants) or a placebo (52 participants) daily for 3 months. Beta…

Metabolic benefits of vitamin B1 supplementation in patients with and without diabetes type 2

Diabetes type 2

Summary Vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency is prevalent in patients with type 2 diabetes, suggesting that correcting this deficiency may provide beneficial cardiovascular and metabolic effects. The objective of this study was to determine whether vitamin B1 supplementation is associated with an improvement of related parameters, like blood pressure and fasting blood glucose levels in patients…

Type 1 diabetes patients have low blood levels of chromium, zinc, and magnesium

Diabetes type 1

Summary Taiwanese researchers explored the status of chromium, zinc, and magnesium in patients with type 1 diabetes. All these micronutrients are involved in glucose metabolism, among others. The findings showed that the concentrations of these trace elements (especially magnesium and zinc) were lower in the blood of type 1 diabetes patients than in study participants…

Alpha-lipoic acid combined with antioxidant diet helps improve blood vessel function in young type 1 diabetes patients

Diabetes type 1

Summary A team of researchers from the University of Milan, Italy, aimed to test the efficacy of an antioxidant diet and an alpha-lipoic acid supplement to improve the dysfunction of the inner surface of blood vessels (endothelium). Endothelial dysfunction is one of the major causes of vascular complications. In diabetes, it is incremented, promoting the…