Assessing the risk of excess folic acid intake
It is well established that folic acid supplementation can significantly reduce the risk of birth defects, including neural tube defects like spina bifida, the most common birth defect of the central nervous system and the second most common of all structural birth defects. More than 80 nations, including the U.S. 25 years ago, have established […]
Can High-Dose Vitamin D Prevent Diabetes?
Daily higher-dose vitamin D supplementation may help stave off diabetes in an at-risk population, researchers reported. In a meta-analysis of three randomized clinical trials, vitamin D reduced the risk for type 2 diabetes by 15% in people with prediabetes (adjusted HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.75-0.96) in a model adjusted for age, gender, body mass index […]
Vitamin D Ruled Out as Solution to Statin Intolerance
Vitamin D supplementation did not ease the muscle symptoms of statin users in the randomized VITAL trial, a substudy showed. Over 4.8 years of follow-up, 31% of statin users assigned to vitamin D reported muscle pain or discomfort lasting several days, which was the same proportion as those assigned placebo, with 13% of both groups […]
Do vitamin D supplements offer kidney-related benefits for individuals with high diabetes risk? Trial shows no significant effects on kidney outcomes
A recent clinical trial described in CJASN has examined the potential of vitamin D supplementation for protecting the kidney health of individuals with pre-diabetes. In the general population, low blood vitamin D levels have been associated with higher risks of various diseases, including type 2 diabetes and kidney disease. Sun H. Kim, MD, MS (Stanford […]