Type II Diabetics: Most common deficiency is Vitamin D (2nd is Magnesium) – meta-analysis Jan 2025

Burden of micronutrient deficiency among patients with type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis

BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health 2025;0:e000950. doi:10.1136/bmjnph-2024-000950
Daya Krishan Mangal1. Nida Shaikh2, Himanshu Tolani2 Diksha Gautam2 Anuj Kumar Pandey2 Yeshwanth Sonnathi1

Background Micronutrient deficiencies are a significant issue worldwide, particularly in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. These deficiencies can impact glucose metabolism and insulin signaling pathways, potentially leading to the beginning and advancement of type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study is a comprehensive assessment of the burden of multiple micronutrient deficiencies among T2D patients. The aim of the study is to resolve conflicting evidence from previous studies that mainly focused on one specific micronutrient.

Methods The systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines and the Cochrane Handbook. This comprehensive literature search explored Embase, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, LILACS and the grey literature, and studies that met the inclusion criteria. A pre-piloted data extraction sheet was used to extract data for relevant study outcomes and characteristics. Results were produced by R V.4.3.2 (R Core Team 2023 using general packages such as tidyverse, and specific packages such as meta and metafor.

Results The analysis included 132 studies with 52 501 participants. The pooled prevalence of multiple micronutrient deficiency (vitamins, minerals and electrolytes) was 45.30% (95% CI 40.35% to 50.30%) among T2D patients. The pooled prevalence (48.62%, 95% CI 42.55 to 54.70) was higher in women with T2D than in men.

  • Vitamin D was the most prevalent micronutrient deficiency (60.45%, 95% CI 55% to 65%),
  • followed by magnesium (41.95%, 95% CI 27% to 56%).
  • B12 deficiency (28.72%, 95% CI 21.08% to 36.37%) was higher in the metformin-consuming group.

The prevalence of micronutrient deficiency varied across WHO regions.

Conclusions Micronutrient deficiencies were common in T2D patients, the most common being vitamin D deficiency. Women were more likely to be affected by micronutrient deficiency than men. These studies were hospital based and the findings of this systematic review may be used with caution due to inherent selection bias. Diversity of foods, lifestyle choices and cultural practices may contribute to geographic variations in micronutrient deficiency.
 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki

41+ VitaminDWiki Magnesium category pages have DIABETES in the title

The list is automatically updated

Items found: 21
VitaminDWiki - Magnesium is vital to Vitamin D in 4 places (maybe 8) – March 2018
408+ VitaminDWiki Diabetes category pages have VITAMIN D in the title

The list is automatically updated

Items found: 409
Title Modified
Diabetes treated if given enough vitamin D (example: 50,000 IU weekly) – review of RCT - Jan 2017 02 Nov, 2018
Type 1 Diabetes is increasing – decreased vitamin D is one of the many possible reasons – Sept 2018 02 Nov, 2018
Raising vitamin D levels shown to prevent 80% of type 2 diabetes cases - Oct 2018 18 Oct, 2018
Depression twice as common in Diabetics (both have low vitamin D) – Aug 2018 26 Sep, 2018
Periodontitis with low Vitamin D increases risk of Diabetes by 2.8 X – July 2018 20 Sep, 2018
Peripheral neuropathy pain associated with low vitamin D – Aug 2018 29 Aug, 2018
Type 1 diabetes 1.6 times more likely if a Vitamin D Receptor problem – Feb 2017 21 Aug, 2018
Neuropathy - 5X more had a good Quality of Life after 600,000 IU of Vitamin D - 2017 21 Aug, 2018
Diabetes Prevention Program funded by many (Vitamin D would be much better) – Aug 2018 20 Aug, 2018
Diabetics were 4.4 X more likely to die if they had low Vitamin D – July 2018 14 Jul, 2018
Diabetic Foot Ulcer patients had low vitamin D (half had less than 10 ng) – July 2018 06 Jul, 2018
Diabetics helped by vitamin D in 5 ways – meta-analysis June 2018 14 Jun, 2018
Diabetes 5.6 X more likely if low vitamin D 4 years before – March 2018 17 May, 2018
Diabetes treated and prevented by more than 2,000 IU of vitamin D (need more and gut-friendly) - meta-analyses 2018 08 May, 2018
Reasons to suspect Diabetes is related to low vitamin D – Jan 2018 20 Mar, 2018
Gestational Diabetes 39 percent more likely if insufficient Vitamin D – Meta-analysis March 2018 17 Mar, 2018
Diabetics with poor quality of life have low Vitamin D levels (less than 15 ng) – March 2018 14 Mar, 2018
HbA1c levels (Diabetes) reduced by monthly 50,000 IU of vitamin D – Dec 2017 01 Mar, 2018
Diabetic inflammation reduced by Vitamin D – meta-analysis Feb 2018 01 Mar, 2018
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus 1.5X more likely if low vitamin D – meta-analysis Oct 2015 07 Feb, 2018
Diabetes (T2DM) half as likely if keep Vitamin D above 25 ng as a youth – Jan 2018 06 Feb, 2018
Prediabetes corrected in 3 months by 1,000 IU of vitamin D as pill or in yogurt – RCT Jan 2018 29 Jan, 2018
Antibiotic increased risk of diabetes (Vitamin D might help) - several studies 24 Jan, 2018
Type 1 Diabetes (T1DM) 1.6 X more likely if low vitamin D – meta-analysis Jan 2018 20 Jan, 2018
Timeline of Heart Disease, Diabetes, fats, lard, HFCS, and vitamin D – Aug 2012 18 Jan, 2018
Hyperglycemia associated with low vitamin D – type II diabetics and healthy people – meta-analysis Jan 2018 17 Jan, 2018
Gestational diabetes treated by Vitamin D plus Omega-3 – RCT Feb 2017 02 Jan, 2018
Gestational Diabetes increasing, especially in dark skinned women (low vitamin D) - 2007 30 Dec, 2017
Cardiometaboic problems decreased with increased Vitamin D, unless low Magnesium – Aug 2017 29 Dec, 2017
Gestational Diabetes 1.9 X more likely if low vitamin D – review Dec 2017 15 Dec, 2017
Congenital Heart Disease is associated with gestational diabetes in first trimester (need Vitamin D and Omega-3 early) Dec 2017 15 Dec, 2017
Inflammation and immune responses to Vitamin D (perhaps need to measure active vitamin D) – July 2017 22 Nov, 2017
Autoimmune diseases associated with low Vitamin D and Vitamin D Receptor – July 2017 12 Nov, 2017
Type 1 Diabetes 14 percent more likely with 2 Vitamin D Receptor mutations – Oct 2017 12 Nov, 2017
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus associated with 4 Vitamin D genes – Oct 2015 09 Nov, 2017
Diabetes risk reduced 35 percent when adult Vitamin D levels are kept high – Nov 2017 09 Nov, 2017
Gestational diabetes 30 percent less likely if consumed more than 400 IU of vitamin D daily – Oct 2017 04 Oct, 2017
Diabetes helped by daily 4,000 IU of Vitamin D – meta-analysis Sept 2017 02 Oct, 2017
Diabetic blacks – 80 percent had low vitamin D (less than 20 ng) a decade before – Sept 2017 13 Sep, 2017
Women with PCOS 4 X more likely to develop T2 Diabetes (no surprise, both associated with low vitamin D) - Aug 2017 07 Sep, 2017
Diabetes not treated by single dose of vitamin D – RCT Aug 2017 25 Aug, 2017
Type 1 diabetes helped with 50,000 IU of vitamin D every two weeks – Nov 2014 20 Jul, 2017
50,000 IU Vitamin D weekly Improves Mood, Lowers Blood Pressure in Type 2 Diabetics – Oct 2013 20 Jul, 2017
Role of Vitamin D in the Pathogenesis of Diabetes – Holick July 2017 16 Jul, 2017
Diabetic nephropathy (Kidney problem) 1.8 X more likely if poor Vitamin D Receptor – meta-analysis July 2017 14 Jul, 2017
Diabetic Neuropathy sometimes can be reversed by vitamin D 13 Jul, 2017
Low vitamin D plus gestational diabetes resulted in increased ICU use, SGA – Oct 2016 07 Jun, 2017
T1 Diabetes associated with many other autoimmune diseases (all related to low vitamin D) – May 2017 03 Jun, 2017
CDC confirms association between more vitamin D and less insulin – Jan 2011 31 May, 2017
Diabetic Retinopathy 27 percent more likely if low vitamin D – meta-analysis May 2016 24 May, 2017
Type II Diabetes is not prevented by a small amount of vitamin D (proven again) – May 2017 16 May, 2017
Type 1 Diabetes association with poor Vitamin D Receptor: 39 studies – April 2017 20 Apr, 2017
Type 1 diabetes associated with faulty Vitamin D receptor genes – May 2013 20 Apr, 2017
Type 1 diabetes, genes and vitamin D 20 Apr, 2017
Diabetic Retinopathy twice as likely if a T2 Diabetic has low level of vitamin D – meta-analysis March 2017 20 Mar, 2017
Diabetic Retinopathy 2 X more likely if poor Vitamin D Receptor – meta-analysis Nov 2016 20 Mar, 2017
Statin use increased probability of diabetes in women by 48 percent – perhaps via vitamin D Jan 2012 19 Mar, 2017
Prediabetes reduced by monthly 60,000 IU of vitamin D – RCT May 2015 15 Mar, 2017
Mice designed to get diabetes often failed to get diabetes if they had lots of vitamin D during their lives – Feb 2014 15 Mar, 2017
Fewer mice became prediabetic when given Vitamin D, even when on high fat, high sugar diet – March 2017 15 Mar, 2017
Diabetes (Type II) reduced by single injection of 300,000 IU of vitamin D3 – RCT March 2014 12 Mar, 2017
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with prediabetes in obese Swedish children – Oct 2016 11 Mar, 2017
Review of Autoimmune diseases, solar radiation and vitamin D – Schwalfenberg 2012 10 Jan, 2017
Diabetes and Vitamin D references (PDF behind paywall) – Jan 2017 08 Jan, 2017
Gestational Diabetes 3.7 X more likely if smoke and have low vitamin D (no surprise) – Feb 2016 04 Jan, 2017
Type 2 Diabetes helped by Omega-3 and Vitamin D – Feb 2014 03 Jan, 2017
ALL of the top 10 health problems of women are associated with low vitamin D 22 Dec, 2016
Obese diabetics with dark skins not benefit from 6,000 IU of vitamin D daily (no surprise) – RCT March 2015 19 Dec, 2016
Type 1 diabetes risk not decreased if add 400 IU vitamin D while pregnant (no surprise) – Dec 2016 13 Dec, 2016
Gestational Diabetes reduce 3 times by 5,000 IU of Vitamin D – RCT Jan 2016 10 Dec, 2016
Diabetic foot ulcer 1.7 times more likely if poor Vitamin D Receptor – Jan 2017 25 Nov, 2016
Peripheral neuropathy is 2.6 times more likely if low vitamin D – June 2016 25 Nov, 2016
Type I Diabetes stopped increasing in Finland after Vitamin D levels were raised – July 2014 15 Oct, 2016
Diabetes not treated by 28,000 IU of weekly vitamin D (proven again) – RCT Sept 2016 26 Sep, 2016
Vitamin D and diabetes – review with many charts and tables – March 2014 26 Sep, 2016
Diabetes not prevented by Vitamin D (when you ignore how much vitamin D was taken) – Sept 2015 03 Aug, 2016
Vitamin D receptor gene associated with 50 percent more type 2 Diabetes – meta-analyses 2013, 2016 22 Jul, 2016
Upsurge in Metabolic diseases may be due to low vitamin D – May 2016 14 Jun, 2016
Insulin resistance 35 percent less likely when vitamin D levels raised by 30 ng – Oct 2015 10 Jun, 2016
Diabetics have more retina problems as they have less vitamin D – Sept 2011 28 May, 2016
Vitamin D activates the hypothalamus (in rodents) to reduce weight and diabetes– May 2016 25 May, 2016
Insulin resistance during pregnancy improved with 50,000 IU of vitamin D every 2 weeks – RCT April 2013 23 May, 2016
Diabetes changes liver genes so as to destroy (catabolize) Vitamin D – May 2016 10 May, 2016
Low vitamin D in pregnancy – epigenetic pancreas problems in offspring (mice) – May 2016 05 May, 2016
Higher vitamin D at birth associated with less diabetes and obesity 35 years later – Jan 2014 05 May, 2016
Type I diabetes 2X more likely if mother had low vitamin D – Jan 2012 05 May, 2016
Less muscle and insulin resistance for children of vitamin D deficient mothers – Jan 2011 05 May, 2016
Autistic child 3X more likely if mother was obese and diabetic (both associated with low vitamin D) - Feb 2015 06 Apr, 2016
Hypothesis: vitamin D and probiotics will reduce type II diabetes – Jan 2013 03 Apr, 2016
Prediabetics not helped by 50,000 IU of vitamin D weekly and Calcium– Jan 2013 03 Apr, 2016
Diabetes 3X more likely if little aerobic exercise (perhaps low vitamin D) March 2016 24 Mar, 2016
Diabetic neuropathy reduced by injection of 600,000 IU of vitamin D – Feb 2016 24 Feb, 2016
Diabetes is more likely if low vitamin D than if obese - Feb 2016 19 Feb, 2016
Gestational Diabetes helped by Vitamin D and Calcium (also less C-section and LGA) – RCT Jan 2016 16 Jan, 2016
Gestational diabetes – Vitamin D and Calcium provided huge benefits – RCT March 2015 13 Jan, 2016
Dr. Holick video on vitamin D - March 2013 27 Dec, 2015
T1 diabetes in children helped with two doses of 150,000 IU of vitamin D and Calcium – March 2015 16 Nov, 2015
T1 Diabetes 35 percent more likely if 10 degrees further from equator (less vitamin D) – June 2014 16 Nov, 2015
Type 1 diabetes 3.5X more frequent if low vitamin D - Medscape CME Dec 2012 16 Nov, 2015
Type 1 Diabetes probability reduced by 2X if have more than 40 ng of vitamin D – Feb 2013 16 Nov, 2015
T1 Diabetes associated with low vitamin D - Nov 2014 16 Nov, 2015
Diabetics are 2.7 X more likely to get peripheral neuropathy if low vitamin D – meta-analysis Dec 2014 13 Nov, 2015
1 night without sleep affects insulin resistance as much as 6 months of high fat diet (vitamin D not mentioned) – Nov 2015 05 Nov, 2015
Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes helped by Vitamin D – most 2013-15 studies agree 24 Oct, 2015
Diabetic neuropathy least likely if have 30-40 ng of vitamin D – Oct 2015 22 Oct, 2015
ALL autoimmune peripheral neuropathy patients had low vitamin D levels – Oct 2014 22 Oct, 2015
Diabetic Nephropathy – active vitamin D helps – Dec 2014 22 Oct, 2015
Pain of Diabetic Neuropathy reduced with weekly 50,000 IU vitamin D– CT Feb 2015 22 Oct, 2015
More vitamin D makes for better health – dissertation based on Rotterdam studies – Oct 2015 18 Oct, 2015
Diabetes (T2) 16 percent more likely if Vitamin D receptor problem – Oct 2015 13 Oct, 2015
Gestational diabetes reduced by just two 50,000 IU doses of vitamin D – RCT Nov 2014 02 Oct, 2015
Diabetes treated by vitamin D when levels exceeded 61 ng – Sept 2015 26 Sep, 2015
Diabetes is associated with low vitamin D in various races, but not blacks – Sept 2015 20 Sep, 2015
Diabetics with low vitamin D had more cognitive impairment– Aug 2013 08 Sep, 2015
Poor memory (among diabetics) if have low vitamin D – Aug 2015 08 Sep, 2015
Diabetes associated with low vitamin D in virtually every study, but want more studies – July 2015 05 Aug, 2015
Vitamin D protects against many types of health problems – review May 2013 19 Jul, 2015
Chicago Sun Times on vitamin D: Depression, chest pain, fibromyalgia, Holick, 3000 IU without test - May 2010 15 Jul, 2015
Diabetes not treated by MONTHLY 50,000 IU vitamin D (which is not quite enough) – May 2015 12 Jul, 2015
Increased Gestational Diabetes and poorer infant health associated with low vitamin D – June 2015 01 Jul, 2015
Hyperglycemia in black veterans is associated with low vitamin D – Nov 2012 01 Jul, 2015
Diabetes (Type 1) 14X more likely in dark skin children with low levels of vitamin D – May 2015 28 May, 2015
Prediabetes progression to diabetes 25 percent less for every 4 ng increase in vitamin D – April 2012 03 May, 2015
Pre-diabetes and hypertension 2.4X more common when less than 30 ng of vitamin D – Jan 2011 03 May, 2015
Diabetic glycation control is inversely related to Vitamin D in India – Feb 2015 22 Apr, 2015
Diabetes decreased in aged mice supplemented with vitamin D – April 2015 15 Apr, 2015
Gestational Diabetes in 10 percent of pregnancies, vitamin D probably helps – Jan 2014 14 Apr, 2015
Vitamin D3 is stored in fat has not been processed by liver – March 2015 17 Mar, 2015
Type 2 diabetes treated by 30 ng of vitamin D – Feb 2011 16 Mar, 2015
Diabetes in Saudi women improved with just 2,000 IU of vitamin D – July 2012 16 Mar, 2015
Diabetic hypertension reduced with Vitamin D and Calcium – RCT March 2015 05 Mar, 2015
Gestational Diabetes reduced 40 percent by 5,000 IU of vitamin D – RCT April 2014 02 Mar, 2015
Type I diabetes in dark skin children associated with low vitamin D if far from equator – Jan 2015 22 Jan, 2015
One autoimmune disease lowers vitamin D, a second AI disease does not lower it further – Jan 2015 10 Jan, 2015
T2 Diabetes helped by aerobic exercise, adding 1200 IU vitamin D helped even more – RCT Sept 2014 10 Jan, 2015
Type I diabetic teens not helped by small amount of vitamin D – Dec 2014 20 Dec, 2014
Vitamin D higher and diabetes lower among rural senior Koreans – Dec 2014 17 Dec, 2014
Depression 2X more common among diabetics, both associated with low vitamin D – 2014 11 Dec, 2014
Hypothesis non-severe depression and diabetes related by low vitamin D – June 2011 10 Dec, 2014
Diabetic foot ulcer associated with extremely low vitamin D levels – Sept 2013 09 Dec, 2014
Type 1 diabetes strongly associated with low vitamin D – March 2013 06 Dec, 2014
Type 1 Diabetes associated with low vitamin D, especially in dark skinned youths – Dec 2012 06 Dec, 2014
Recent Diabetics treated by supplementation which achieved 60 ng of vitamin D – RCT Sept 2014 03 Dec, 2014
Hypothesis: Diabetes association with CVD is via Vitamin D – Sept 2012 24 Nov, 2014
Diabetics with severely low vitamin D had more inflammatory cytokines – Oct 2014 26 Oct, 2014
Vitamin D patent for treating immune system diseases 17 Oct, 2014
Diabetic neuropathy and low vitamin D, especially in blacks - July 2011 26 Sep, 2014
Vitamin D helps with T2 Diabetes, hyperparathyroidism, PCOS, and some other endocinological diseases – Sept 2014 23 Sep, 2014
Can Vitamin D treat Diabetes - many articles 13 Sep, 2014
Diabetes prevention RCT kicked off: adding 4,000 IU vitamin D - Oct 2013 10 Sep, 2014
Vitamin D and Magnesium fight Diabetes independently - have not seen a trial that used both of them

311 visitors, last modified 21 Mar, 2025,
Printer Friendly Follow this page for updates