Low Vitamin D Levels May Double Diabetes Risk

Reuters (4/27, Boerner) reported that low vitamin D levels may increase the risk of developing diabetes, according to a study in the journal Diabetes Care. For five years, the researchers followed more than 5,000 individuals and found that those with consistently lower-than-average vitamin D levels had a 57% percent increased likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes compared with people whose average vitamin D levels were within the recommended range. Adults need about 600 IU of vitamin D daily to maintain blood-circulating levels, according to Institute of Medicine recommendations.