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14 Mar 2008
Children given vitamin D supplements may reduce their risk of developing type 1 diabetes in later life, new research suggests.
Researchers from St Mary's Hospital for Women and Children in Manchester, UK, found that young children given additional vitamin D were 29 per cent less likely to develop type 1 diabetes than those not given the supplement.
A review of five studies also suggested that the higher and more regular the dose is, the lower the likelihood of developing the disease.
The report, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, linked levels of vitamin D and sunlight to other autoimmmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Type 1 diabetes is most common among people living in Europe, with around two million Europeans and North Americans living with the illness.
It is caused by the immune system destruction of pancreatic cells that produce the hormone insulin which help to control blood glucose levels.
Incidence of type 1 diabetes is expected to rise by 40 per cent worldwide by 2010, based on figures for the year 2000.
Click here to learn more about diabetes
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