{"id":634055,"date":"2026-04-27T12:39:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T12:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/634055\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T12:39:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T12:39:10","slug":"vitamin-d-may-help-lower-the-risk-of-developing-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/634055\/","title":{"rendered":"Vitamin D May Help Lower the Risk of Developing Diabetes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated5 min readNew research suggests some people with prediabetes may benefit from a vitamin D supplement.The supplement can lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.There are a few things to consider before trying this.<\/p>\n

More than 115 million<\/a> Americans have prediabetes, which is when your blood sugar levels are higher than what\u2019s considered a healthy range, but not quite at the level of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. If you\u2019re one of them, the big challenge is to do what you can to lower the risk your condition will progress to type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n

While eating healthy and being more active can cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes in half<\/a> when you have prediabetes, new research suggests that taking a high-dose vitamin D supplement may also help\u2014but only for certain people with prediabetes.<\/p>\n

The study, which was published in JAMA Network Open,<\/a> analyzed data from the D2d study, which was a large clinical trial that looked at the impact of 4,000 units of vitamin D a day vs. a placebo in more than 2,000 American adults with prediabetes to see if it would impact their progression to type 2 diabetes. (That particular study didn\u2019t find benefits to taking vitamin D to prevent type 2 diabetes.)<\/p>\n

In the latest study, researchers dove into genetic data from 2,098 people who participated in the trial. The researchers specifically compared the response to vitamin D supplement in people who had different common variations in the vitamin D receptor gene.<\/p>\n

After crunching the data, the researchers discovered that with prediabetes who also had certain common variations in the vitamin D receptor gene had a 19% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes when they took a high daily dose of vitamin D. (Those variations were AC or CC variations of the ApaI vitamin D receptor gene, if you want to get technical.)<\/p>\n

While the findings don\u2019t suggest that everyone with prediabetes should put themselves on a vitamin D supplement, the researchers note that it suggests genetic testing may be helpful in the future in identifying people with prediabetes who might benefit from higher doses of vitamin D.<\/p>\n

But why vitamin D? Here\u2019s the deal, according to experts.<\/p>\n

Meet the experts: Anastassios Pittas, M.D.,<\/a>the study\u2019s senior author, a professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, and chief of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at Tufts Medical Center; Scott Keatley, R.D., is co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy<\/a>; Jessica Cording, R.D<\/a>., is the author of The Little Book of Game-Changers; Keri Gans, R.D.N., is author of The Small Change Diet.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the only study to suggest vitamin D may help prevent type 2 diabetes<\/p>\n

One study that was published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society<\/a> in 2025 analyzed data from 10 clinical trials that included nearly 4,500 people with prediabetes. The researchers found that 18.5% of the study participants who took vitamin D reached blood sugar levels that were normal, compared to the 14% of participants who took a placebo.<\/p>\n

Another scientific analysis that was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine<\/a>in 2023 analyzed data from three clinical trials on the impact of vitamin D supplementation on people with prediabetes. After three years of follow-up, the researchers found that that 22.7% of participants who took vitamin D developed type 2 diabetes, while 25% of those who took a placebo did the same.<\/p>\n

So far, the differences between people who took vitamin D or a placebo haven\u2019t been massive\u2014but they have been noticeable. The latest findings suggest that diving a little deeper into genetics may drive that impact even more.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s behind this?<\/p>\n

There are likely a few things happening here. \u201cThe vitamin D receptor is the \u2018sensor\u2019 that allows the body to use vitamin D,\u201d says Anastassios Pittas, M.D.,<\/a>the study\u2019s senior author, a professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, and chief of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at Tufts Medical Center. \u201cIn some individuals, this receptor works more efficiently, so higher vitamin D levels can better support processes such as insulin function, leading to better glucose control.\u201d<\/p>\n

But in others, the receptor doesn\u2019t respond as well. \u201cSo, taking more vitamin D may not have the same benefit,\u201d Dr. Pittas says.<\/p>\n

Vitamin D doesn\u2019t act on its own, points out Scott Keatley, R.D., co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy<\/a>. It binds to the vitamin D receptor, which then sparks a reaction in tissues like the pancreas beta cells, he explains. \u201cThose cells are responsible for insulin secretion,\u201d Keatley says. (Insulin is what your body uses to escort blood sugar into your cells, where it\u2019s used for energy.) \u201cIf the receptor is slightly different due to genetic variation, the same vitamin D level can produce a different biological response,\u201d Keatley says.<\/p>\n

How can you know if vitamin D will help you?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no quick and easy way to know if you have these genetic variations, according to Keri Gans, R.D.N., author of The Small Change Diet. \u201cRight now, most people would not know,\u201d she says. \u201cThis is based on a specific genetic variation, and that is not routinely tested for in standard care.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, you may notice some clues, according to Jessica Cording, R.D<\/a>., the author of The Little Book of Game-Changers.<\/p>\n

Cording suggests knowing what your vitamin D status is at baseline. \u201cBlood work is very important, and this is a really easy test,\u201d she says. \u201cThat will give you some clues as to if you’re deficient and should supplement, along with how high of a dose.\u201d<\/p>\n

But follow-up blood work is especially crucial, per Cording. \u201cThat will help you see how your body responds to vitamin D and will give you clues to see whether you should continue or stop, or if you need a higher dose,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

What is a \u2018high dose\u2019 of vitamin D?<\/p>\n

It depends. \u201cTraditionally, a \u2018high\u2019 dose has been defined as intake above 4,000 IU per day, which was set as the Tolerable Upper Intake Level by the Institute of Medicine in 2011,\u201d Dr. Pittas says. \u201cThat said, thinking has evolved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, he says that healthcare providers imply think about what may be appropriate for each person, noting that this is often show in blood work. \u201cIn studies on type 2 diabetes prevention, greater benefit has been observed among individuals who achieve and maintain higher blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D\u2014around or above 40 ng\/mL,\u201d Dr. Pittas says. \u201cReaching these levels requires doses higher than 4,000 IU\/day in some individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you need a vitamin D supplement?<\/p>\n

If you have prediabetes, a vitamin D supplement is unlikely to be the way to avoid progressing to type 2 diabetes, whether you have this special genetic variant or not. \u201cDiet and exercise are still the main drivers,\u201d Keatley says. \u201cWhen people with prediabetes improve diet quality, lose some weight, and move more, the reduction in diabetes risk is typically much larger and more consistent than what we see from any single nutrient.\u201d<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean vitamin D is worthless, though. \u201cVitamin D, if it plays a role here, would likely be a smaller, supportive effect,\u201d Keatley says. \u201cThink of it as something that might fine-tune risk in certain people, not something that replaces the basics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, if you have prediabetes and want to lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, it\u2019s important to have a conversation with your healthcare provider about your treatment options.<\/p>\n

Dietary supplements are products intended to supplement the diet. They are not medicines and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure diseases. Be cautious about taking dietary supplements if you are pregnant or nursing. Also, be careful about giving supplements to a child, unless recommended by their healthcare provider.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"5 min readNew research suggests some people with prediabetes may benefit from a vitamin D supplement.The supplement can…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":634056,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[64,63,257355,301600,428,307133,430,137,2387,278005,307132,237051],"class_list":{"0":"post-634055","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-collection-conditions-and-diagnoses","11":"tag-collection-diabetes","12":"tag-content-type-news","13":"tag-contentid-fb31fbba-f16f-4c44-9ffb-cdec359f67ca","14":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","15":"tag-health","16":"tag-locale-us","17":"tag-read_time-6","18":"tag-shorttitle-study-vitamin-d-may-help-lower-diabetes-risk","19":"tag-subsection-health-conditions"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=634055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/634056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=634055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=634055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=634055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}