Diabetes prevented by 50,000 IU vitamin D monthly (Iran)

Created March 2022

Economic evaluation of a national vitamin D supplementation program among Iranian adolescents for the prevention of adulthood type 2 diabetes mellitus

BMC Complement Med Ther. 2022 Jan 3;22(1):1. doi: 10.1186/s12906-021-03474-0.

Narges Zandieh 1, Mohsen Rezaei Hemami 2, Ali Darvishi 3, Seyed Mohammad Hasheminejad 4, Zahra Abdollahi 5, Maryam Zarei 5, Ramin Heshmat 6

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in preventing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among Iranian adolescents.

Methods: This analytical observational study was conducted, using the decision tree model constructed in TreeAge Pro to assess the cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) of monthly intake vitamin D supplements to prevent T2DM compared to no intervention from the viewpoint of Iran's Ministry of Health and through an one-year horizon. In the national program of vitamin D supplementation, 1,185,211 Iranian high-school students received 50,000 IU vitamin D supplements monthly for nine months . The costs-related data were modified to 2018. The average cost and effectiveness were compared based on the Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (ICER).

Results: Our analytical analysis estimated the 4071.25 (USD / QALY) cost per AQALY gained of the monthly intake of 50,000 IU vitamin D for nine months among adolescents over a one-year horizon. Based on the ICER threshold of 1032-2666, vitamin D supplementation was cost-effective for adolescents to prevent adulthood T2DM. It means that vitamin D supplementation costs were substantially less than the costs of T2DM treatments than the no intervention.

Conclusions: Based on the findings, the national vitamin D supplementation program for Iranian adolescents could be a cost-effective strategy to reduce the risk of diabetes in adulthood. From an economic perspective, vitamin D supplementation, especially in adolescents with vitamin D deficiency, would be administrated.

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Appears: $250 cost of annual supplementation for 200 people would eliminate 1 person getting diabetes

Study does not appear to measure the vitamin D levels actually achieved

Previous study in Iran by the same authors with 50K/month focused on a different health problem

Giving free vitamin D to every Iranian would pay for itself by just reducing CVD – Oct 2021

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