Association of A1c Levels with Vitamin D Status in U.S. Adults: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
- Jatupol Kositsawat, MD (Jatupol.Kositsawat{at}va.gov)1,2,
- Vincent L. Freeman, MD3,
- Ben S. Gerber, MD, MPH4,5 and
- Stephen Geraci, MD6
- 1Medical Service, GV (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center, Jackson, MS
- 2Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi, Jackson, MS
- 3Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
- 4Section of Health Promotion Research, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
- 5Research Health Scientist, Center for Management of Complex Chronic Care, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL
- 6Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi, Jackson, MS
Abstract
Objective - Data relating vitamin D status with indices of glucose homeostasis as manifested by A1c in the U.S. adult population are few.
Research Design and Methods - We examined the association between serum 25-OH vitamin D and A1c levels in 9773 adults (age ≥ 18 years old) participating in the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multivariate linear regression analyzed the association after accounting for potential confounders.
Results - Serum 25-OH vitamin D levels were inversely associated with A1c levels in subjects age 35 to 74 years (p=0.0045) and those who did not report a history of diabetes mellitus (p=0.0282).
Conclusions - These findings support a mechanistic link between serum vitamin D concentrations, glucose homeostasis, and the evolution of diabetes in a large segment of the U.S. adult population. Screening people with elevated A1c levels for vitamin D insufficiency should be considered.
Footnotes
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- Received November 20, 2010.
- Accepted February 26, 2010.
- Copyright © American Diabetes Association
