Conclusions Short-term ( 4–12 weeks ) supplementation with vitamin D is associated with lower fasting glucose levels in ESRD with no change in fasting insulin levels .
Abstract Purpose We tested whether short-term vitamin D supplementation improves insulin resistance in patients with kidney disease , a condition with little intrinsic vitamin D activity .
Effect of oral calcitriol pulse therapy on the lipid, calcium, and glucose homeostasis of hemodialysis-patients: its safety in a combination with oral calcium carbonate.
OBJECTIVE To more clearly eluci date the conflicting results that have been obtained after oral calcitriol pulse therapy on lipid , glucose , and calcium levels in hemodialysis ( HD ) patients , and to determine safety of oral calcitriol pulse therapy in a combination with calcium carbonate . DESIGN A r and omized , crossover , placebo-controlled study . SETTING HD centers in 3 teaching university hospitals . PATIENTS Forty-eight chronic HD patients . METHODS HD patients were r and omized into 2 groups . Each group ( n = 24 ) , in addition to 4.5 g calcium carbonate daily , received either oral calcitriol pulse therapy or placebo twice weekly at the end of HD , sessions for 3 months , after which the 2 therapeutic groups were crossed-over , and for an additional 3 months , the calcitriol group received placebo , and the placebo group was put on calcitriol .  Serum triglyceride , total cholesterol , low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-c ) , high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( HDL-c ) , total calcium , alkaline phosphatase , proteins , phosphorus , parathyroid hormone ( PTH ) , blood pH , and glucose were measured at r and om and at the end of 3 and 6 months of the trial . RESULTS After calcitriol therapy , triglyceride , serum PTH , total alkaline phosphatase , and fasting blood sugar significantly decreased , but total serum calcium significantly increased , whereas other examined parameters remained unchanged compared with the other groups . Calcium , phosphorus , calcium x phosphorus product , PTH levels , and all of these parameters were optimized in 18 ( 37.5 % ) , 22 ( 45.8 % ) , 34 ( 70.8 % ) , 30 ( 62.5 % ) , and 12 ( % 25 ) cases , respectively , in the calcitriol groups . No significant side effect was seen during the trial . CONCLUSION Our findings indicate that short-term oral calcitriol pulse therapy in combination with calcium carbonate is safe and beneficial for metabolic abnormalities of HD patients ; however , its safety for prolonged therapy is yet to be proved
Conclusions Short-term ( 4–12 weeks ) supplementation with vitamin D is associated with lower fasting glucose levels in ESRD with no change in fasting insulin levels .
Abstract Purpose We tested whether short-term vitamin D supplementation improves insulin resistance in patients with kidney disease , a condition with little intrinsic vitamin D activity .