Insulin secretion and sensitivity in healthy adults with low vitamin D are not affected by high-dose ergocalciferol administration: a randomized controlled trial.

What this study found

Ergocalciferol increased 25(OH)D status but did not improve insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity, or other metabolic outcomes. In the active arm, total 25(OH)D rose from 18 ± 7 to 43 ± 12 ng/mL, versus 18 ± 7 to 20 ± 10 ng/mL in placebo, with P < 0.001 between groups. However, the 12-week change in first-phase insulin secretion was not different between groups (P = 0.48), insulin sensitivity was not different (P = 0.52), and HOMA-IR also showed no between-group difference (P = 0.60). BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, blood pressure, and lipid measures likewise did not differ significantly,…

Study & population

Randomized controlled trial in healthy adults aged 18 to 45 years with low total 25(OH)D, recruited at a clinical research center of a tertiary care hospital.

Intervention

Ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) was given orally at 50,000 IU per week for 12 weeks versus placebo.

Key limitation

The active arm was small and follow-up was short at 12 weeks, limiting power to detect modest metabolic effects.

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