A lack of vitamin D and calcium may be linked to getting type 2 diabetes. More than 80,000 women took part in the Nurses' Health Study. Over the course of 20 years, over 4,800 women developed Type 2 diabetes. The researchers found that a combined intake of over 1,200 milligrams of calcium and over 800 units of vitamin D was linked with a 33% lower risk for type 2 diabetes (as compared to women who took much smaller amounts of calcium and vitamin D). The results show that consuming higher amounts of vitamin D and calcium help lower the risk for type 2 diabetes in women.
Diabetes is a disorder characterized by hyperglycemia or elevated blood glucose (blood sugar). Our bodies function best at a certain level of sugar in the bloodstream. If the amount of sugar in our blood runs too high or too low, then we typically feel bad. Diabetes is the name of the condition where the blood sugar level consistently runs too high.
Vitamin D and Calcium are important nutrients for everyone for a number of reasons, but I was surprised by this study!