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 1,25 (OH)2D3 treatment on glucose intolerance in uraemia.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of calcitriol treatment on glucose intolerance in uraemia . Thirty one patients on haemodialysis who had never been treated with vitamin D or related drugs , and 12 healthy control subjects with normal renal functions were studied . Uraemic patients were r and omly divided into two groups ; 16 patients were treated with oral calcitriol ( 0.5 micrograms/day ) for 8 weeks , and 15 uraemic patients and 12 healthy subjects were given a placebo . In all these cases , before and 8 weeks after treatment , baseline serum glucose , insulin , calcium , parathormone ( PTH ) , and 1,25 (OH)2D3 were measured . After an oral load of 75 g glucose , blood glucose and insulin  were determined at 30 , 60 , 90 , and 120 min . The same measurements were repeated after 8 weeks . HbA1c and fructosamine were also measured at 0 and 8 weeks . Baseline serum insulin was significantly elevated after calcitriol treatment ( 7.81 versus 11.63 microIU/ml ) there was also a significant increase in insulin following calcitriol treatment at 30 , 60 , 90 , and 120 min . On the other h and , glycosylated haemoglobin ( HbA1c ) and fructosamine decreased after calcitriol treatment ( HbA1c 7.09 % versus 5.22 % P < 0.01 and fructosamine 2.92 versus 2.50 mmol/l P < 0.01 ) . Blood glucose significantly decreased after calcitriol treatment at 0 , 30 , 60 , 90 , and 120 min . In the other two groups there were no significant changes in any parameters . These results seem to confirm that vitamin D influences pancreatic beta ( beta ) cell secretion and suggest that calcitriol may improve glucose intolerance in uraemic haemodialysis patients . ( ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS
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 .