Recently vitamin D deficiency has been found to be associated with type-2 diabetes and obesity with up to 80% of obese adults being vitamin D insufficient (5). Researches have shown low vitamin D status to be associated with the development of type-2 diabetes as well as metabolic syndrome (6).
Many studies have looked at the role of vitamin D in diabetes and have shown an association between low levels of vitamin D and increased risk for type 2 diabetes and its complications.
It's also been noted that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes tend to have lower vitamin D levels than people without the disease.
Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in diabetes type 2 and this vitamin may be related to insulin action.
A randomized controlled trial determined that metformin does NOT affect vitamin D status, but it can lower vitamin B12 levels.
A B12 supplement can be helpful if you have type 2 diabetes and are deficient in the vitamin. People who take metformin for type 2 diabetes have lower levels of vitamin B12. If you're on metformin, talk to your health care provider about periodically being tested for a B12 deficiency.
Medical conditions that can cause vitamin D deficiency include: Cystic fibrosis, Crohn's disease and celiac disease: These conditions can prevent your intestines from adequately absorbing enough vitamin D through supplements, especially if the condition is untreated.
Vitamin D supplementation may help lower average blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes; and is especially effective in people who also have a vitamin D deficiency, and are non-obese and deficient. Supplementation for more than 12 weeks at ≥ 1000 IU/day may be most beneficial.
Vitamin D facilitates the secretion of insulin from pancreatic beta cells, thus appearing to regulate insulin secretion [Bourlon et al. 1999; Zeitz et al. 2003]. Therefore vitamin D deficiency may be related to impaired insulin secretion in diabetes mellitus type 2.
No interactions were found between metformin and Vitamin D3.
"Adequate levels of magnesium in the body are essential for the absorption and metabolism not only of vitamin D but of calcium as well," Dean states. "Magnesium converts vitamin D into its active form so that it can help calcium absorption.
According to the National Library of Medicine, vitamin D deficiency can lead to a loss of bone density, which can contribute to osteoporosis and fractures (broken bones). Severe vitamin D deficiency can also lead to other diseases.
Therefore, conditions that affect the gut and digestion, like celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, Crohn's disease, and cystic fibrosis, can reduce vitamin D absorption.
Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These nutrients are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults.
As much as possible, avoid white bread, white rice, white pasta, candy, soda, desserts, and snacks like chips or crackers. Eating foods that can spike your blood sugar will not necessarily make the metformin not work, however, it will increase the burden it has to work against.
Healthy eating for type 2 diabetes
Eating healthy foods with a low glycaemic index (GI) can help to optimise your blood sugar levels. This includes wholegrain breads, minimally processed breakfast cereals like rolled or steel cut oats, legumes, fruit, pasta and dairy products.
Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable by taking several simple steps: keeping weight under control, exercising more, eating a healthy diet, and not smoking.
metformin can commonly reduce vitamin B12 levels in patients, which may lead to vitamin B12 deficiency. the risk of low vitamin B12 levels increases with higher metformin dose, longer treatment duration, and in patients with risk factors for vitamin B12 deficiency.
Can stress cause a vitamin D deficiency? Yes, stress can cause a vitamin D deficiency. This is because when you're stressed, your body produces a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol can interfere with the absorption of vitamin D and other nutrients.
An effective substitute for Metformin is a compound known as berberine or berberine hydrochloride, which is obtained from many plant species, including goldenseal, barberry, Oregon grape, and turmeric.