June 26, 2013. A presentation at the American Diabetes Association 73rd Scientific Sessions held in Chicago revealed improvements in blood pressure and depression among diabetic women supplemented with a high dose of vitamin D. Depression is estimated to affect over 25% of diabetic women, and may impact their ability to manage their disease. In a pilot study conducted at Loyola University, Sue M. Penckofer, PhD, RN and her associates gave 46 diabetic women of an average age of 54.6 years 50,000 international units (IU) vitamin D weekly for six months. Participants had been diabetic for 7.8 years on average upon enrollment, and had insufficient serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. At the beginning and end of the study, depression was evaluated via the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale and Physicians Health Questionnaire, and weight, blood pressure and serum vitamin D levels were measured.
At the study's conclusion, the women's serum vitamin D levels had increased significantly, and depression, weight and blood pressure were reduced. Dr Penckofer plans to validate the study's findings in a placebo-controlled trial of 180 depressed diabetic women with vitamin D insufficiency funded by a four-year grant from the National Institute of Nursing.
"Vitamin D supplementation potentially is an easy and cost-effective therapy, with minimal side effects," stated Dr Penckofer, who is a professor at Loyola's Niehoff School of Nursing. "Larger, randomized controlled trials are needed to determine the impact of vitamin D supplementation on depression and major cardiovascular risk factors among women with type 2 diabetes."
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2013_06.htm#Blood-pressure-depression-reduced-by-vitamin-D-supplementation-in-diabetic-women
