Low Vitamin D and Diabetes/Immunity

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Horm Metab Res. 2005 Nov;37(11):680-3.

Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in patients with newly

diagnosed type 1 diabetes.

Pozzilli P, Manfrini S, Crino A, Picardi A, Leomanni

C, Cherubini V, Valente L, Khazrai M, Visalli N;

IMDIAB group.

Dept Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Campus Bio

Medico, Rome, Italy. p.pozzilli@...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: An epidemiological retrospective

study and a recent prospective study from Finland have

both concluded that vitamin D3 supplementation at

birth protects individuals from type 1 diabetes later

in life. Moreover, it is thought that vitamin D3

supplementation, in particular its activated form,

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3], may act as an

immunomodulator, facilitating the shift from a Th1 to

a Th2 immune response. The aim of this surveillance

study was to measure levels of both 25-hydroxyvitamin

D3 (25OHD3) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in patients

with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes as compared to

normal subjects. METHODS: We measured plasma levels of

25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25OHD3] and

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 by radioimmunoassay in 88

consecutive patients with newly diagnosed type 1

diabetes (mean age 14.6 years; diagnosis within the

last week), and in 57 healthy age and sex-matched

subjects (mean age 16.5 years) born and residing in

the Lazio region of continental Italy. RESULTS: Mean

levels of both 25OHD3 and 1,25-(OH)2D3 were

significantly lower in patients compared to controls

(p < 0.01 and p < 0.03, respectively). There was no

correlation between 1,25-(OH)2D3 plasma level and

metabolic control status at disease diagnosis, age,

gender, or most importantly, seasonality of disease

diagnosis. This new observation endorses the findings

of the Finnish study, even though Italy is a

geographic area with more hours of sunlight than

Finland. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that

vitamin D3 may be an important pathogenic factor in

type 1 diabetes independent of geographical latitude,

and that its supplementation should be considered not

only at birth, but also at diagnosis of type 1

diabetes with the aim of favouring a Th2 immune

response and protecting residual beta cells from

further destruction.

PMID: 16308836 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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