Impact of serum levels of vitamin D on lipid profiles, glycemic indices, and insulin resistance in obese type 2 diabetes patients: An observational study

Abstract

Background: Diabetes patients have a higher chance of developing dyslipidemia and increased release of free fatty acids, which participate in developing insulin-resistant fat cells. On the other hand, vitamin D insufficiency is linked to the evolution of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study examines the impact of vitamin D serum levels on lipid profiles and insulin resistance concerning glycemic indices in obese T2DM patients. Methods: During the data collecting stage, 47 diabetes patients were chosen from the out-patient clinic. The control individuals were selected from the general population and were equivalent to the matching patients, with a total of 43 healthy participants. After an overnight fast, a venous blood sample was collected from each individual to test insulin and vitamin D3 levels using particular ELISA kits. In addition, by colorimetric test, serum was used to estimate total cholesterol, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Aside from that, fasting serum glucose levels were measured (FSG). Results: Fasting serum glucose (FSG), homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), total cholesterol, and triglycerides, all of these values were significantly elevated in people with diabetes as compared to controls (p-value <0.05) when the serum level of vitamin D was markedly low. In contrast, insulin and high-density lipoprotein values had decreased significantly in the diabetic population compared to controls (p-value <0.05) and were not correlated to vitamin D levels. Conclusions: Diabetes patients had higher FSG, HOMA-IR, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting insulin, triglycerides, total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratios (TC: HDL-C), triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratios (TG: HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratios (LDL-C: HDL). In obese diabetic individuals, vitamin D levels had a significant impact on total cholesterol, LDL-C, and the TC:HDL-C ratio.