Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #192124
Title: VITAMIN D AND CALCIUM INTAKE IN RELATION TO TYPE 2 DIABETES IN WOMEN

Author
item PITTAS, ANASTASSIOS - TUFTS-NEMC
item Dawson-Hughes, Bess
item LI, TRICIA - HARVARD SCH PUBLIC HEALTH
item VAN DAM, ROB - HARVARD SCH PUBLIC HEALTH
item WILLETT, WALTER - HARVARD SCH PUBLIC HEALTH
item MANSON, JOANN - HARVARD SCH PUBLIC HEALTH
item HU, FRANK - HARVARD SCH PUBLIC HEALTH

Submitted to: Diabetes Care
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/21/2005
Publication Date: 3/1/2006
Citation: Pittas, A.G., Dawson-Hughes, B., Li, T., Van Dam, R.M., Willett, W.C., Manson, J., Hu, F.B. 2006. Vitamin d and calcium intake in relation to type 2 diabetes in women. Diabetes Care. 29(3):650-6.

Interpretive Summary: Dietary calcium and vitamin D are well known to have favorable effects on the skeleton. Recent evidence suggests that they may also influence risk of developing diabetes. We examined the association between dietary intakes of calcium and vitamin D and the risk of developing diabetes in a group of 83,779 women aged 30 to 55 years (The Nurses Health Study). Over the 20 year follow-up period, 4,843 women developed adult-onset diabetes. Women consuming at least 1200 mg per day of calcium had a 21% lower risk of developing diabetes than women with intakes under 600 mg per day. Women with higher calcium and vitamin D intakes (>1200 mg and > 400 IU per day, respectively) had a 33% lower risk of developing diabetes than women with lower intakes (calcium < 600 mg and vitamin D < 200 IU per day). These findings suggest that calcium and vitamin D influence risk of developing diabetes. Further research is needed to define precisely the extent to which increasing calcium and vitamin D intake will reduce risk of developing this devastating chronic disease.

Technical Abstract: In the Nurses’ Health Study, a prospective cohort of 83, 779 women aged 30-55 years, who had no history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer were followed at baseline for development of type 2 diabetes. Vitamin D and calcium intakes from diet and supplements were assessed every 2-4 years to examine prospectively the association between vitamin D, calcium intake, and risk of incident type 2 diabetes. During 20 years of follow-up, 4,843 incident cases of type 2 diabetes were documented. After adjusting for multiple potential confounders (including calcium), there was no association between total vitamin D intake and type 2 diabetes. However, the relative risk (RR) of type 2 diabetes was 0.87 (95% CI 0.75-1.00; p for trend 0.04) comparing the highest (>400 IU/day) with the lowest (£100 IU/day) category of vitamin D intake from supplements. The multivariate (including vitamin D) RR of type 2 diabetes was 0.79 (95% CI 0.70-0.90; p for trend < 0.001) comparing the highest (>1200 mg/day) with the lowest (£600 mg/day) category of calcium intake from all sources and 0.82 (95% CI 0.72-0.92; p for trend < 0.001) comparing the highest (>500 mg/day) with the lowest (£250 mg/day) category of calcium intake from supplements. A combined daily intake of over 1200 mg of calcium and over 800 IU of vitamin D was associated with a 33% lower risk of type 2 diabetes (RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.49-0.90) as compared with an intake of less than 600 mg and 200 IU of calcium and vitamin D, respectively. The results of this large prospective study suggest a potential beneficial role for both vitamin D and calcium intake in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.