Miracle drug to ward off disease
Vitamin D Can Cure Heart Disease, Diabetes
Durgesh Nandan Jha TNN
New Delhi: Often called the sunshine vitamin, Vitamin D may be the answer to critical ailments like diabetes and heart disease. Recent studies by experts in India and the US have linked the diseases to a lack of this vitamin.
Basic dietary changes, which include an increase in Vitamin D-rich food items such as treated milk, butter, fish and increased exposure to the sun, can help ward off diabetes and cardiovascular disease which are assuming epidemic proportions.
The Indian study, which found a link between diabetes and Vitamin D deficiency, was conducted by the Diabetes Foundation (India), department of diabetes and metabolic disease at FortisHospital and the department of biostatistics, AIIMS.
Lead researcher Dr Anoop Misra said that after studying 92 subjects with type II diabetes mellitus, it was found that the average concentration of Vitamin D was significantly lower in diabetics as compared to non-diabetic patients. "Vitamin D deficiency causes impairment of insulin secretion and an increase in insulin resistance among patients with type II diabetes mellitus," he explained.
Misra said that daily intake of 1200mg of calcium and 800 IU of Vitamin D can
reduce the risk of diabetes. It improves insulin secretion and production by the B-cells of pancreas and also affects secretion by increasing the intracellular calcium concentration.
Vitamin D also helps reduce the risk of heart disease by modulating the heart's muscle shape and function, say experts. A study conducted by the Harvard Institute of Public Health and published by the A m e r i c a n J o u r n a l o f C l i n i c a l N u t r i t i o n shows that a higher intake of Vitamin D is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases in men. "A Vitamin D deficiency increases blood vessel contraction and hypertension. It also causes inflammation in arteries leading to blockages," the study says.
"Vitamin D is manufactured by the body in response to sunlight. Indians are at a greater risk of having diabetes and vitamin D deficiency due to lack of adequate exposure to the sun in urban areas.
"With people moving around in airconditioned cars and working in airconditioned offices, there is very little exposure to sunlight. Furthermore, consumption of predominantly vegetarian food items that are low in vitamin D puts us in the risk zone. Only a small proportion of India's urban population consumes food fortified with Vitamin D like milk, butter and fish," say experts.
Vitamin D deficiency in adults precipitates or exacerbates osteopenia, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, fractures, common cancers, autoimmune diseases and infectious diseases.
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