News & Research

    Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York

Effects of vitamin D on insulin resistance and systemic inflammation

General Research Subject: Type 2 Diabetes

Focus: Adipocytes, Clinical Therapeutics/New Technology\Treatment of Insulin Resistance, Insulin Action\Insulin Resistance

Type of Grant: Clinical Translational Research

Project Start Date: January 1, 2012

Project End Date: December 31, 2014

Diabetes Type: Type 2 diabetes

Research Description

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is increasing and is believed to play a role in the development of many diseases. Low vitamin D levels may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, but more definitive studies are needed to examine this association. Obesity and type 2 diabetes are associated with a low-grade inflammation in the body. Vitamin D has been shown to affect immune cell function, decreasing inflammation makers in the blood. Therefore, insufficient levels of vitamin D may contribute to the inability of the body to utilize insulin to lower blood glucose. The investigators propose to examine the effects of vitamin D on inability of the body to use insulin and inflammation in vitamin D deficient diabetic subjects to determine if vitamin D repletion improves effects of insulin and blood sugar control. They will perform "state of the art" studies, which evaluate the body's sensitivity to insulin, to examine whether vitamin D administration can improve the response of the liver and muscle tissue to insulin. Furthermore, they will examine whether vitamin D supplementation affects inflammation by modulating special immune cells called 'macrophages', in fat tissue. Additional studies will be done in a immune cells to explore further mechanisms by which vitamin D may impact inflammation. If metabolic benefits of vitamin D are shown, vitamin D supplementation could be an important therapeutic tool in the management of diabetes.

Research Profile

What area of diabetes research does your project cover? What role will this particular project play in preventing, treating and/or curing diabetes?

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is increasing and is believed to play a role in the development of many diseases. Low vitamin D levels may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, but more definitive studies are needed to examine this association. Obesity and type 2 diabetes are associated with a low-grade inflammation in the body. Vitamin D has been shown to affect immune cell function, decreasing inflammation makers in the blood. Therefore, insufficient levels of vitamin D may contribute to the inability of the body to utilize insulin to lower blood glucose. We propose to examine the effects of vitamin D on inability of the body to use insulin and on inflammation in vitamin D deficient diabetic subjects to determine if vitamin D repletion improves effects of insulin and blood sugar control. We will perform "state of the art" studies, which evaluate the body's sensitivity to insulin, to examine whether vitamin D administration can improve the response of the liver and muscle tissue to insulin. Furthermore, we will examine whether vitamin D supplementation affects inflammation by modulating special immune cells called 'macrophages', in fat tissue. Additional studies will be done in immune cells to explore further mechanisms by which vitamin D may impact inflammation. If metabolic benefits of vitamin D are shown, vitamin D supplementation could be an important therapeutic tool in the treatment of diabetes.

If a person with diabetes were to ask you how your project will help them in the future, how would you respond?

Vitamin D deficiency is common in both the general population and those with Type 2 diabetes. Since several studies have shown an association between low vitamin D levels and insulin resistance, it is important to examine whether correcting this deficiency would also improve insulin resistance. If this is found to be the case in our project, vitamin D supplementation could be used to improve insulin resistance in people with diabetes. Improving insulin resistance would improve the ability of diabetes medications to lower blood sugar levels in individuals who have diabetes. Furthermore, it could potentially prevent or delay diabetes in those individuals who considered "at risk" of developing diabetes.

Why is it important for you, personally, to become involved in diabetes research? What role will this award play in your research efforts?

As a young girl, I was personally touched by diabetes as several members of my family including my mother and grandmother were affected by this disease. After I started medical school, I became very interested in understanding why diabetes develops and what more could be done to improve the lives of those with diabetes. After I started my training in Internal Medicine, I realized that the best path for me to achieve these goals was to conduct research in diabetes . I felt that I was very well suited for this career as I could utilize my training, knowledge and personal motivation to address the many unanswered questions about how and why some individuals diabetes, whether anything could be done to prevent it and how the quality of life of those who are affected might be improved. This award will be invaluable in supporting my research efforts. I have been fortunate to have been supported by several organizations until now such as the National Institutes of Health and the Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation. An award from the American Diabetes Association is an invaluable recognition from my scientific peers that understanding the role vitamin D plays in the patho-physiology of diabetes is crucial. While some of my previous work has shown the importance of vitamin D supplementation in individuals with pre-diabetes this award will allow me to examine effects of vitamin D in those individuals who already have diabetes.

In what direction do you see the future of diabetes research going?

Diabetes is disease that manifests itself in many different forms. Different individuals respond differently to the available therapies and sometimes therapeutic options are limited because of the complications from the disease. In the long term, I hope that there will be a cure for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes through the efforts of many talented scientists, many of whom are supported through the efforts of the American Diabetes Association. Furthermore, I hope more effort will be made to find strategies to prevent diabetes. In the more immediate term, my hope for the future of diabetes research is that we can identify more targeted therapies that are effective yet have minimal side effects.