The correlation of vitamin D with HOMA-IR and glycated hemoglobin in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Abstract

Background and objective: Vitamin D’s primary functions are the homeostasis of calcium and bone metabolism, but it also has a significant role in the homeostasis of plasma glucose. This study sought to examine the relationship between vitamin D and glycated hemoglobin and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A total of 150 patients with newly diagnosed T2DM participated in this case-control study. Additionally, 150 controls of the same age and gender were also recruited. Serum vitamin D and fasting insulin levels were estimated by the electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) method. And, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to analyze HbA1c. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to determine the association of vitamin D with HbA1c and HOMA-IR. Results: About 71% of diabetes patients had low vitamin D levels, compared to 31% in the control group. Vitamin D-deficient T2DM subjects had significantly higher HOMA-IR and HbA1c levels. In addition, a strong negative association between vitamin D and HOMA-IR (r = -0.75) and vitamin D and HbA1c (r = -0.73) has been demonstrated among T2DM patients. Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency is correlated with ineffective glycemic control, and the reason might be its potential role in the secretion and sensitivity of insulin. Therefore, vitamin D screening must be incorporated as a routine check-up for T2DM patients.