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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Low levels of vitamin D don't put older women at greater venture for identify 2 diabetes, a super think of U.S. women suggests.

The findings haw further irritability the life for vitamin D that built up in time years, as studies linked it to modify risks of everything from diabetes, to severe asthma, heart disease, certain cancers and depression.

The problem with those studies is that they were empiric -- which means that researchers simply looked at people's vitamin D intake, or their murder levels of the vitamin, and whether or not they matured a given upbeat condition.

Those types of studies cannot establish that vitamin D was the reason for any modify disease risk.

"You can't make fare recommendations supported on empiric studies," said Dr. Jennifer G. Robinson, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at the University of Chiwere and the advance researcher on the newborn study.

In an interview, she spinous to the time report on vitamin D from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), an independent scientific embody that advises the U.S. government. The report said the grounds didn't show that vitamin D has any upbeat benefits beyond building and maintaining brawny bones.

It also said average Americans already have vitamin D murder levels at or above the amount that's needed for good bone health.

The newborn study, publicised online by the journal Diabetes Care, participating women participating in the Women's Health Initiative, a super polity project that looked at the upbeat personalty of hormone therapy, diet changes, and vitamin D and calcium supplements on women geezerhood 50 and older.

Of 5,140 women who were free of identify 2 diabetes at the move of the trial, 6 proportionality matured the modify over an average of 7 years.

Robinson's aggroup institute no clear link between the women's murder levels of vitamin D at the outset and their venture of nonindustrial identify 2 diabetes after on.

Initially, there was some grounds of an association. But it disappeared when the researchers accounted for factors same embody weight, training levels and certain diet habits, same material intake -- which are key in the venture of nonindustrial identify 2 diabetes.

"Look at how you intend vitamin D," histrion said. She noted that the important sources include solarise exposure, greasy fish same salmon and mackerel, and vitamin D-fortified farm products. "People who intend those things are a lot different from grouping who don't."

And it's those factors, histrion said, that haw account for the link between vitamin D and modify diabetes venture researchers thought they had institute in older studies.

Still, the current study, same time ones, was empiric -- so it doesn't contradict a role for vitamin D in diabetes risk. So-called randomized studies are what's needed to establish whether the vitamin curbs disease risks, histrion spinous out.

In that identify of trial, participants are arbitrarily assigned to different communication groups, which helps ensure the results are faithful and not just an gist of chance.

A large, government-sponsored randomized effort is currently underway. The think module involve 20,000 U.S. adults who are arbitrarily assigned to take vitamin D, omega-3 greasy acids (together or alone) or placebo pills -pills that countenance exactly same the others -- for comparison.

For now, histrion suggests that grouping pore on cloudy their diabetes venture by hunting at their overall lifestyle -- intake a counterpoised diet, effort regular training and maintaining a healthy weight.

She noted that exercising right and intake foods rich in vitamin D module also ensure that you're effort enough of the vitamin.

The IOM recommends that adults in their 70s and up intend 800 IU of vitamin D per day, while everyone added older than 12 months should intend 600 IU. (For more information about amounts of vitamin D in common foods, meet this National Institutes of Health site: http://bit.ly/eXHaTf.)

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/i8h4fL Diabetes Care, online Feb 2, 2011.

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