Saudi Arabia: Vitamin D Deficiency and Type 2 Diabetes

In type 2 diabetes, the deficiency status of vitamin D was shown to be associated with dyslipidemia, particularly those complicated with coronary artery diseases and obesity, a recent study in Clinical Laboratory has revealed.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disease leading to vascular complications. Amal F. Gharib, Taif University, Ta'if, Saudi Arabia, and colleagues aimed to investigate the relationship between vitamin D deficiency, dyslipidemia, and obesity with the risk of coronary artery disease in type 2 diabetes.

The study included 200 Saudi adult participants, aged 40 - 60 years, of both genders, who attended King Abdulaziz Specialist Hospital in Taif city. The subjects were categorized into four groups:

• The control group
• Type 2 diabetes
• Type 2 diabetes with coronary artery disease (CAD)
• Type 2 diabetes with obesity having body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m²

50 subjects were included in each group.

The researchers estimated fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum vitamin D (25-OH-D), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and triglycerides (TG) levels.

Study Findings

• Serum vitamin D and HDL-C in the three diabetic patient groups were significantly decreased compared to the control group.
• Among patient groups, the levels in the diabetic coronary and diabetic obese patients were significantly decreased compared to the diabetic patient group.
• FBG levels, HbA1c%, TC, TG, LDL-C levels, and BMI in all diabetic patient groups were significantly higher compared to the control.
• Significant negative correlations were observed between serum vitamin D and FBG, HbA1c%, TC, TG, LDL-C levels, and BMI, whereas positive correlations with HDL-C in all diabetic patient groups.

The researchers concluded that "the deficiency status of 25-OH-D is linked with dyslipidemia in type 2 Saudi diabetic patients, particularly those complicated with obesity and coronary artery diseases."

Reference

Gharib, Amal F., et al. "Association of Vitamin D Deficiency, Dyslipidemia, and Obesity With the Incidence of Coronary Artery Diseases in Type 2 Diabetic Saudi Patients." Clinical Laboratory, vol. 68, no. 10, 2022.