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Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with insulin deficiency and insulin resistance. In fact, last year it was shown that vitamin D deficiency is likely to be a major factor for the development of type one diabetes in children.

It is not clear how vitamin D may lower the risk of type 1 diabetes, which occurs when the body's own immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. However, vitamin D has been shown to suppress certain cells of the immune system that may play a role in the development of the disorder. As type 1 diabetes is considered to be an autoimmune disease, it seems likely that vitamin D would be needed in enabling the optimal function of the immune system and in preventing too aggressive attacks against the body's own tissues.

Research on animals has shown an association between vitamin D and a reduced risk of type 1 diabetes. To investigate the relationship in humans, the researchers followed more than 10,000 women who were due to give birth in 1966 in northern Finland. New mothers recorded whether they gave vitamin D supplements to their children and how much they provided, during the first year of life. Researchers tracked the number of children who developed type 1 diabetes over 31 years.

Nearly 12% of children were given vitamin D supplements occasionally during their first year of life, 88% received regular vitamin D supplements and less than 1% were not given vitamin D. Overall, 81 children were diagnosed with diabetes during the study.

The investigators believe that vitamin D might somehow inhibit the autoimmune reaction targeted towards the beta cells of the pancreas. Furthermore, impairment of immune system functioning by a suboptimum vitamin D status in infancy could have long-term effects on immune responses later in life. Interestingly, northern Finland, which has the highest reported incidence of type 1 diabetes in the world, only receives two hours of sunlight during December. Another interesting fact is that. "Between 47% and 97% of infants in European countries receive a vitamin D supplement whereas few infants in the USA are given one, and when they are, it is generally in the form of a multivitamin preparation in the USA."

Another recent study (in Norway) was conducted to find out whether the intake of dietary cod liver oil or other sources of vitamin D such as supplements taken by either mothers during pregnancy or by children during the first year of their life, was linked to lowering the risk of type 1 diabetes among children. The nationwide case-control study was done in Norway and consisted of 545 children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and 1,668 control participants. Families were sent a questionnaire in the mail and were required to answer questions pertaining to the number of times they used cod liver oil or other vitamin D supplements. Results from the study showed that taking cod liver oil during the first year of life greatly lowered the risk of type 1 diabetes. The study concluded that the anti-inflammatory effects of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids found in cod liver oil might have the capability of reducing the risk of type 1 diabetes.

Another study (in Bulgaria) shows that giving vitamin D supplements to diabetics during the winter markedly improved control of their blood sugar levels. The majority of North Americans require sunlight to meet their needs for vitamin D because they do not meet their needs from the foods that they eat. Many people in temperate climates therefore are deficient in vitamin D by the end of winter. Lack of vitamin D impairs a person's immunity and ability to produce insulin and respond to insulin. This study shows that giving vitamin D pills to Type 2 diabetics during the winter improved control of blood sugar levels by increasing the first response of insulin from the pancreas to a rise in blood sugar, and by improving cell response to insulin.