Micronutrient deficiencies, especially vitamin D, common in type 2 diabetes
Approximately 45% of patients with type 2 diabetes were deficient in multiple micronutrients, with vitamin D deficiency the most common at approximately 61%, a meta-analysis of 132 studies found.
Patients with type 2 diabetes frequently have micronutrient deficiencies, according to a recent study.
Researchers performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the worldwide prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in patients with type 2 diabetes. Cross-sectional, longitudinal, and cohort studies and randomized controlled trials were included if they involved patients with type 2 diabetes who were age 18 years or older, with or without diabetes complications. Multiple micronutrient deficiency was defined as deficiencies in vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes. The results of the trial, which was funded by Abbott Nutrition Research and Development, were published Jan. 28 by BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.
A total of 127 studies (132 datasets) involving 52,501 participants were included in the analysis. The pooled prevalence for multiple micronutrient deficiency was 45.30% (95% CI, 40.35% to 50.30%) among all patients with diabetes and was higher in women than in men (48.62% [95% CI, 42.55% to 54.70%] vs. 42.53% [95% CI, 36.34% to 48.72%]). Vitamin D (60.45%; 95% CI, 55% to 65%) and magnesium (41.95%; 95% CI, 27% to 56%) were the most common micronutrient deficiencies, while prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency was higher in patients taking metformin (28.72%; 95% CI, 21.08% to 36.37%) than in patients overall (23.78%). Pooled prevalence of micronutrient deficiency varied across World Health Organization regions.
Limitations included that most of the studies were hospital-based and the results are therefore not widely generalizable, the authors noted. They concluded that in the studied population, almost half of patients with type 2 diabetes had multiple micronutrient deficiencies, that women were more likely to be affected than men, and that vitamin D was the most common deficiency.
The authors said that population-based studies are needed to estimate the burden of micronutrient deficiencies in patients with type 2 diabetes and the general population, along with studies to establish cause-and-effect relationships. “Nevertheless,” they wrote, “our [systematic review and meta-analysis] indicated a high prevalence of various micronutrients in [type 2 diabetes] worldwide and would necessitate the attention of physicians and policy makers to explore micronutrient supplementation's role in preventing comorbidity and complications, and disease management.”