Relationship between vitamin d and hyperglycemia in older people from a nationally representative population survey.

J Am Geriatr Soc. 2011 Oct;59(10):1786-92. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2011.03590.x. Epub 2011 Sep 13.
Hirani V.
From the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Royal Free and University College, London Medical School, University College London, London, United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between vitamin D levels and hyperglycemia in a national community sample of older people.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional, nationally representative sample.

SETTING: Community.

PARTICIPANTS: Two thousand thirty-eight noninstitutitionalized adults aged 65 and older taking part in the Health Survey for England 2005.

MEASUREMENTS: Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH) D) levels, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and covariates: age, sex, social class, season of examination, use of vitamin supplements, and physical health status.

RESULTS: Hyperglycemia was independently associated with low vitamin D levels (odds ratio

• (OR) = 2.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.20-4.42 for 25(OH)D <25.0 nmol/L and
• OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.22-3.58 for 25(OH)D 25.0-49.9 nmol/L)
• but not for 25(OH)D between 50.0 and 74.9 nmol/L (OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 0.85-2.62).

CONCLUSION: The higher-than-expected co-occurrence of low vitamin D levels and hyperglycemia (HbA1c ? 6.5%) are important public health concerns for older populations living in northern latitudes because both are common, and both have substantial adverse health consequences.
Ensuring adequate vitamin D levels may help reverse the increasing trend in the development of diabetes mellitus and related complications in older people.

© 2011, Copyright the Author Journal compilation © 2011, The American Geriatrics Society.
PMID: 22091491
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