Associations between Vitamin D Status and Type 2 Diabetes Measures among Inuit in Greenland May Be Affected by Other Factors

• Published in: PloS one 2016-04, Vol.11 (4), p.e0152763-e0152763
• Main Authors: Nielsen, Nina O, Bjerregaard, Peter, Rønn, Pernille F, Friis, Henrik, Andersen, Stig, Melbye, Mads, Lundqvist, Marika, Cohen, Arieh S, Hougaard, David M, Jørgensen, Marit E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Beta cells; Biology and Life Sciences; Blood glucose; Blood Glucose - analysis; Cancer; Care and treatment; Congenital diseases; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent); Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - etiology; Diet; Diet therapy; Epidemiology; Fasting; Female; Glucose; Glucose Intolerance - blood; Glucose Intolerance - epidemiology; Glucose Intolerance - etiology; Glucose tolerance; Glucose Tolerance Test; Greenland - epidemiology; Health aspects; Health risks; Hemoglobin; Homeostasis; Humans; Insulin; Insulin resistance; Intolerance; Inuit; Inuits; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Nutrition research; People and Places; Physical sciences; Population; Prediabetic State - blood; Prediabetic State - epidemiology; Prediabetic State - etiology; Prevention; Public health; Regression analysis; Risk Factors; Studies; Systematic review; Towns; Type 2 diabetes; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D Deficiency - complications; Vitamin deficiency; Vitamins - blood; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0152763

Epidemiological studies have provided evidence of an association between vitamin D insufficiency and type 2 diabetes. Vitamin D levels have decreased among Inuit in Greenland, and type 2 diabetes is increasing. We hypothesized that the decline in vitamin D could have contributed to the increase in type 2 diabetes, and therefore investigated associations between serum 25(OH)D3 as a measure of vitamin D status and glucose homeostasis and glucose intolerance in an adult Inuit population. 2877 Inuit (≥18 years) randomly selected for participation in the Inuit Health in Transition study were included. Fasting- and 2hour plasma glucose and insulin, C-peptide and HbA1c were measured, and associations with serum 25(OH)D3 were analysed using linear and logistic regression. A subsample of 330 individuals who also donated a blood sample in 1987, were furthermore included. After adjustment, increasing serum 25(OH)D3 (per 10 nmol/L) was associated with higher fasting plasma glucose (0.02 mmol/L, p = 0.004), 2hour plasma glucose (0.05 nmol/L, p = 0.002) and HbA1c (0.39%, p