Predominant menu
Consumer menu
Search
Summary
OBJECTIVE—Experimental and epidemiologic research counsel that calcium and vitamin D could scale back the chance of growing diabetes. We examined the impact of calcium plus vitamin D supplementation on the incidence of drug-treated diabetes in postmenopausal girls.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—The Girls’s Well being Initiative Calcium/Vitamin D Trial randomly assigned postmenopausal girls to obtain 1,000 mg elemental calcium plus 400 IU of vitamin D3 each day, or placebo, in a double-blind trend. Amongst 33,951 individuals with out self-reported diabetes at baseline, we ascertained by therapy project new diagnoses of diabetes handled with oral hypoglycemic brokers or insulin. Results of the intervention on fasting measurements of glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance have been examined amongst a subset of individuals.
RESULTS—Over a median follow-up time of seven years, 2,291 girls have been newly recognized with diabetes. The hazard ratio for incident diabetes related to calcium/vitamin D therapy was 1.01 (95% CI 0.94–1.10) primarily based on intention to deal with. This null end result was strong in subgroup analyses, efficacy analyses accounting for nonadherence, and analyses inspecting change in laboratory measurements.
CONCLUSIONS—Calcium plus vitamin D3 supplementation didn’t scale back the chance of growing diabetes over 7 years of follow-up on this randomized placebo-controlled trial. Larger doses of vitamin D could also be required to have an effect on diabetes danger, and/or associations of calcium and vitamin D consumption with improved glucose metabolism noticed in nonrandomized research could also be the results of confounding or of different elements of meals containing these vitamins.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS— – “calcium plus d”
The WHI enrolled typically wholesome postmenopausal girls ages 50–79 years in an observational research and in medical trials (22). Members enrolled within the Dietary Modification trial, Hormone Remedy trial, or each have been invited to affix the Calcium/Vitamin D (CaD) trial at their first (n = 33,070) or second (n = 3,212) annual follow-up go to (22). Examine protocol was authorized by the institutional assessment board at every collaborating establishment, and written knowledgeable consent was granted by every participant. This research consists of CaD trial individuals who didn’t have prevalent diabetes on the time of CaD trial enrollment (n = 33,951). Prevalent diabetes was outlined as a self-reported doctor prognosis of “sugar diabetes” or use of capsules or insulin photographs for diabetes.
Fasting glucose and insulin concentrations have been measured in a 6% pattern of WHI medical trial individuals (23). Random sampling was stratified by age, medical web site, hysterectomy standing, and race/ethnicity to oversample for minority populations. Glucose and insulin measurements have been accomplished at years 1 (CaD baseline), 3, and 6. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, which mirror whole physique shops of vitamin D (24), have been measured at CaD baseline in a separate participant subset. These vitamin D concentrations have been obtained for a nested case-control research inspecting fractures, and solely outcomes for individuals chosen as management topics have been included on this research (n = 1,699).
Calcium/vitamin D intervention
Members have been randomly assigned in a double-blind trend to obtain 1,000 mg elemental calcium plus 400 IU vitamin D3 each day, or placebo (22). Lively tablets consisted of 500 mg calcium (as calcium carbonate) and 200 IU vitamin D3 (offered by GlaxoSmithKline). Members have been instructed to take two tablets each day, ideally in divided doses with meals. Girls have been allowed to proceed their very own private use of calcium and vitamin D so long as private use of vitamin D didn’t exceed 600 IU each day. The higher restrict of private vitamin D consumption was raised to 1,000 IU after the Institute of Drugs launched its report on the tolerable higher limits of vitamin D consumption (24). At 12 months 3, 16% of individuals reported nonstudy use of calcium-only dietary supplements, 4% vitamin D–solely dietary supplements, and 44% multivitamins, which can have contained some calcium and/or vitamin D. Adherence to review medicine was assessed by weighing returned bottles and was <80% throughout no less than one 6-month time interval amongst 20,109 individuals (59%). Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations have been measured on therapy at 12 months 3 amongst a subset of 448 individuals chosen with out regard to nonstudy complement use or adherence to review medicine. This participant subset differed from these for glucose/insulin and baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D measurements. In contrast with individuals assigned to placebo, imply 25-hydroxyvitamin D focus at 12 months 3 was 23 nmol/l larger amongst girls assigned to energetic remedy.
Incident diabetes Incident diabetes, the first consequence of this research, was outlined as a brand new doctor prognosis of diabetes handled with oral hypoglycemic brokers or insulin, as in prior WHI publications (25,26). Diabetes was an consequence of curiosity, although not a chosen major consequence for WHI trials, and this research is carried out as a submit hoc evaluation. Case identification was by participant self-report. At every semi-annual contact, individuals have been requested, “Since the date given on the front of this form, has a doctor prescribed any of the following pills or treatments?” A optimistic response for both “pills for diabetes” or “insulin shots for diabetes” was used to outline incident diabetes. The accuracy of self-reported handled diabetes within the WHI trials has been assessed utilizing medicine and laboratory information (Okay.L.M., R. Brzyski, D.E. Bonds, B.V.H., S. Kempainen, S. Liu, L.S. Phillips, J.G. Robinson, M.M. Safford, L.F.T., unpublished information). On the baseline go to, 79% of ladies with prevalent self-reported handled diabetes introduced an oral hypoglycemic agent or insulin to the baseline drug stock, and 73% of ladies with self-reported diabetes whose fasting glucose was measured had a end result ≥126 mg/dl. Seventy-eight p.c with incident self-reported handled diabetes in the course of the first 12 months of the trial introduced a diabetes medicine to the 12 months 1 drug stock. Laboratory outcomes Blood samples for glucose and insulin have been obtained within the fasting state (no less than 12 h) and maintained at 4°C for as much as 1 h. Centrifuged aliquots have been put into −70°C freezers inside 2 h of assortment and despatched on dry ice to the central repository for storage at −70°C. Fasting glucose was analyzed utilizing the hexokinase methodology (Hitachi 747; Boehringer Mannheim Diagnostics, Indianapolis, IN), with interassay coefficients of variation <2%. Homeostasis mannequin evaluation of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated from fasting glucose and insulin values (27). Covariates Demographic and well being historical past information have been self-reported at WHI baseline. Dietary information have been collected utilizing a validated meals frequency questionnaire (28). Whole calcium and vitamin D intakes included each dietary and complement sources. Metabolic equal of the duty (MET) scores have been calculated from the frequency and period of leisure bodily exercise (29). Photo voltaic irradiance was outlined by recruitment web site (30). BMI was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the sq. of peak in meters. Waist circumference was measured on the narrowest a part of the torso at end-expiration. Fasting glucose was characterised as regular, impaired, or diabetic in response to American Diabetes Affiliation tips, (31), and the metabolic syndrome was outlined in response to Nationwide Ldl cholesterol Training Program–Grownup Remedy Panel III standards (32). 25-Hydroxyvitamin D concentrations have been measured utilizing the DiaSorin Liaison chemiluminescent immunoassay system (Stillwater, MN). Statistical strategies Unadjusted incidence charges, calculated because the variety of incident diabetes circumstances divided by whole follow-up time, have been reported as an annualized p.c. Cox proportional hazards fashions, stratified by age and randomization standing for different WHI trials, have been used to evaluate danger related to CaD therapy project. Members have been thought-about in danger for incident diabetes from entry into the CaD trial till prognosis of diabetes or till the final semi-annual go to for which consequence information have been accessible. Twenty potential covariate-treatment interactions have been chosen primarily based on danger components for diabetes and nonstudy sources of calcium and vitamin D. Roughly one interplay was anticipated to be vital by likelihood alone on the α = 0.05 stage of significance. Main analyses have been by intention to deal with. Secondary efficacy analyses assessed the affect of 1) nonadherence to review medicines (“dropout”) by censoring time in danger 6 months after the primary semiannual report indicating <80% use of research medicine (as-treated evaluation) and a couple of) nonstudy complement use (“drop-in”) utilizing fashions that included nonstudy use of calcium or vitamin D dietary supplements as a time-dependent covariate. Amongst individuals with laboratory measurements, “incident treated plus untreated diabetes” was outlined as “pills for diabetes,” “insulin shots for diabetes,” or a fasting glucose focus ≥126 mg/dl (31). Absolute variations in fasting glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR rating from baseline have been in contrast by CaD therapy project on the 12 months 3 and 6 research visits utilizing a t check, weighted for sampling design; use of unweighted or log-transformed information didn't change interpretation of outcomes. SAS model 9.1 (Cary, NC) was used for all analyses.RESULTS
Baseline traits
Imply age was 62 years. Of the individuals, 84% described themselves as Caucasian, 8% Black, 4% Hispanic, <1% American Indian, and a couple of% Asian/Pacific Islander. Baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D focus was <80 nmol/l for 89% of individuals, and <50 nmol/l for 61%. Participant traits, described intimately in Desk 1, didn't differ by calcium/vitamin D therapy project.
Incident diabetes Over a median follow-up time of seven years, 2,291 girls developed incident diabetes. A complete of two,177 individuals reported use of oral hypoglycemic brokers (95% of case topics), and 227 reported use of insulin (10% of case topics), with some individuals reporting use of each. The cumulative incidence of diabetes at 7 years was 6.5% and didn't differ by calcium/vitamin D therapy project (Fig. 1A). Primarily based on intention to deal with, the hazard ratio for incident diabetes related to calcium/vitamin D therapy was 1.01 (95% CI 0.94–1.10). Quite a few participant traits, measured at baseline, have been related to elevated danger for incident diabetes: non-Caucasian race/ethnicity, much less formal training, household historical past of diabetes, lesser alcohol consumption, larger BMI, larger waist circumference, decrease intakes of calcium and vitamin D, much less bodily exercise, lack of hormone remedy, elevated fasting glucose, and presence of the metabolic syndrome (Desk 1, columns displaying annualized incidence charges). Nonetheless, the impact of calcium/vitamin D therapy on danger of incident diabetes didn't differ amongst subgroups outlined by any baseline participant attribute examined (Desk 1, column displaying treatment-covariate interplay P values), with the potential exceptions of developments towards a protecting impact of calcium/vitamin D remedy amongst girls who consumed larger dietary calcium or dairy merchandise (P for interplay = 0.05 and 0.02, respectively). Baseline intakes of dietary calcium and dairy merchandise have been reasonably correlated (Pearson correlation coefficient, r = 0.58). When time in danger was censored for adherence <80% (Fig. 1B), the hazard ratio for incident diabetes related to calcium/vitamin D therapy was 0.97 (95% CI 0.86–1.09). Nonstudy use of calcium dietary supplements, together with multivitamins, was reported no less than as soon as by 79% of individuals, and nonstudy use of vitamin D dietary supplements was reported by 75%. When adjustment was made for nonstudy use of calcium or vitamin D, the hazard ratio for incident diabetes related to calcium/vitamin D therapy was 1.01 (95% CI 0.93–1.10) or 1.02 (0.94–1.10), respectively. Laboratory outcomes Baseline fasting glucose measurements have been accessible for two,080 individuals (6.1%). Fasting glucose was ≥126 mg/dl in 60 individuals (2.9%), who have been excluded from additional analyses of laboratory outcomes. Among the many remaining group, the 12 months 6 cumulative incidence of each handled diabetes and handled plus untreated diabetes didn't differ by calcium/vitamin D therapy project: handled diabetes developed in 21 of 738 individuals assigned to energetic therapy (2.8%) and 25 of 771 individuals assigned to placebo (3.2%), whereas handled or untreated diabetes developed in 59 (8.0%) and 65 (8.4%), respectively. The relative danger of incident diabetes related to calcium/vitamin D therapy project was very comparable evaluating the handled diabetes consequence (relative danger 0.88, 95% CI 0.50–1.55) to the handled plus untreated diabetes consequence (relative danger 0.95, 0.68–1.33). Adjustments in fasting glucose concentrations, insulin concentrations, and HOMA-IR scores from CaD baseline to years 3 and 6 have been assessed by calcium/vitamin D therapy project within the general group with accessible blood samples and in a subgroup with impaired fasting glucose at baseline (Desk 2). We discovered no vital impact of therapy on parameters of glucose metabolism in both group. Outcomes didn't differ when analyses have been restricted to individuals who maintained adherence to review medicines ≥80% via the time of measurement.CONCLUSIONS—
Calcium plus vitamin D3 supplementation (1,000 mg plus 400 IU each day, respectively) didn’t scale back the chance of growing drug-treated diabetes over 7 years of follow-up within the WHI CaD randomized placebo-controlled trial. This null end result was strong in subgroup analyses, efficacy (adherence-based) analyses, and analyses inspecting change in laboratory measurements of glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance as assessed by HOMA-IR scores. The hazard ratio for incident diabetes of 1.01 and tight surrounding 95% CI (0.94–1.10) counsel {that a} clinically vital profit for this particular intervention with regard to diabetes prevention is unlikely amongst typically wholesome postmenopausal girls.
In prior observational research, larger baseline intakes of calcium, vitamin D, and/or dairy merchandise have been related to diminished danger for subsequent diabetes (13–16). Within the present research, once we examined our information as an observational cohort research, larger baseline whole calcium and vitamin D intakes have been related to modestly decrease unadjusted incidence charges of diabetes. These observational outcomes are according to prior observational research, however carry comparable potential limitations. In distinction, null outcomes inspecting the randomly assigned calcium/vitamin D intervention battle with observational research.
What explains this discrepancy? First, it’s potential that calcium and/or vitamin D do forestall diabetes, however that the doses used within the WHI CaD trial have been inadequate to have an effect on this consequence. This rationalization seems unlikely for calcium, because the dose of calcium used is massive in contrast with typical dietary intakes (24). For vitamin D, nonetheless, a comparatively small dose was prescribed. Vitamin D3 400 IU each day can be anticipated to lift 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations from 43.7 nmol/l (the median baseline worth on this research) to ∼65.7 nmol/l (33), nonetheless lower than the 80 nmol/l threshold at the moment suggest by many consultants (34). Alternatively, it’s potential that calcium and vitamin D haven’t any causal impact on glucose metabolism and that observational research, in addition to the observational outcomes offered right here, have been restricted by confounding. Variations in dietary calcium, dietary vitamin D, and serum vitamin D concentrations could mirror variations in life-style (for instance, dietary preferences or bodily exercise not simply ascertained) or unmeasured attributes of well being standing (akin to physique composition). It’s also potential that vitamins generally consumed with calcium and vitamin D could enhance glucose metabolism, whereas calcium and vitamin D in themselves don’t, or that meals wealthy in calcium and/or vitamin D could displace different meals that trigger diabetes.
Prior intervention research assessing the results of vitamin D supplementation on glucose metabolism have yielded combined outcomes (1,17–20). These research have been typically restricted by small measurement, quick period, and/or lack of acceptable controls. Not too long ago, a bigger (n = 314) 3-year research of calcium plus vitamin D3 supplementation (500 mg plus 700 IU, respectively) reported enchancment in fasting glucose concentrations and HOMA-IR scores, in contrast with placebo, amongst girls with baseline impaired fasting glucose, however not amongst girls with regular fasting glucose (21). Related impact modification by baseline glucose focus was not noticed within the present research. Variations in dose and formulation of research medicines, adherence and nonstudy complement use, and/or pattern measurement could contribute to differing outcomes.
We noticed a pattern towards a protecting impact of calcium/vitamin D supplementation amongst individuals with larger baseline dietary intakes of calcium or dairy merchandise. It’s potential that larger nonstudy calcium consumption allowed for a synergistic impact with research vitamin D; nonetheless, this appears unlikely, since all individuals receiving energetic research medicine additionally obtained comparatively massive doses of calcium. Alternatively, this may increasingly characterize an opportunity discovering from a number of testing of interactions, with two probably vital interactions noticed due to correlation between dietary calcium and dairy consumption.
There are a selection of potential limitations to this research. First, longitudinal fasting glucose measurements have been accessible for under a subset of trial individuals, limiting the first research consequence to self-reported drug-treated diabetes. Though not strictly according to the American Diabetes Affiliation definition of diabetes (31), you will need to observe that drug-treated diabetes is a clinically related consequence. Furthermore, two observations counsel that the end result definition used on this research is legitimate: 1) outcomes have been comparable whether or not the end result was outlined as handled diabetes solely or handled plus untreated diabetes (American Diabetes Affiliation definition) among the many subset of individuals with laboratory measurements, and a couple of) anticipated associations of covariates with incident diabetes have been noticed. Second, nonadherence and nonstudy use of dietary supplements could have biased outcomes towards the null. Nonetheless, cheap separation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations by therapy project was noticed throughout the subgroup of individuals for whom measurements have been made, and sensitivity analyses accounting for nonadherence and nonstudy use of dietary supplements instructed that the research end result was strong. Lastly, just one intervention dose was prescribed, which can have included inadequate vitamin D to affect diabetes danger.
This research additionally has vital strengths. The massive variety of incident diabetes circumstances lends nice energy to this research and facilitates correct subgroup analyses. For analyses of laboratory outcomes, the subset of individuals with accessible measurements in itself was bigger than prior intervention research. Extra importantly, the randomly assigned intervention and lengthy period of follow-up enable a sound and distinctive evaluation of the long-term danger of incident diabetes related to calcium and vitamin D supplementation.
In conclusion, calcium plus vitamin D3 supplementation didn’t scale back the chance of growing diabetes over 7 years of follow-up on this randomized placebo-controlled trial of typically wholesome postmenopausal girls. Future analysis ought to search explanations for differing outcomes evaluating observational research to randomized trials and/or look at larger doses of vitamin D.