Vitamin D Supplementation Trial in People at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
The Vitamin D Trial aimed to examine the effects of vitamin D in preventing or delaying the development of type 2 diabetes.
Vitamin D is a natural substance produced in our skin when it is exposed to sunlight. It is also present in some foods. Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones. Many adults (especially from ethnic minority groups) do not have enough body vitamin D, and this may affect their health.
Recent research has raised the possibility that it may also have a role in the prevention of illnesses as diverse as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, and infections. But this is not yet proven and further research is needed to test this.
Vitamin D comes in two forms: vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). This study was set up to investigate the effects of each of these two forms of vitamin D compared with a placebo (that is, when no vitamin D was given).
The Vitamin D Trial was designed to test whether supplementation with vitamin D would have an effect on metabolic markers of the development of type 2 diabetes among adults who are at risk of type 2 diabetes. This trial was a joint collaborative project between researchers at Queen Mary University of London and the MRC Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge. Across the London and Cambridge sites this trial recruited 340 people over 2010 to 2013.
Data sharing
The MRC Epidemiology Unit is committed to sharing data to maximise the value of our work for the public good. Please see our Data Sharing pages for more information.
Publications
Selected publications
Martineau AR, Thummel KE, Wang Z, Jolliffe DA, Boucher BJ, Griffin SJ, Forouhi NG, Hitman GA. Differential Effects of Oral Boluses of Vitamin D2 vs Vitamin D3 on Vitamin D Metabolism: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. (2019)
Beveridge LA, Khan F, Struthers AD, Armitage J, Barchetta I, Bressendorff I, Cavallo MG, Clarke R, Dalan R, Dreyer G, Gepner AD, Forouhi NG, Harris RA, Hitman GA, Larsen T, Khadgawat R, Marckmann P, Mose FH, Pilz S, Scholze A, Shargorodsky M, Sokol SI, Stricker H, Zoccali C, Witham MD. Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Markers of Vascular Function: A Systematic Review and Individual Participant Meta-Analysis. J Am Heart Assoc. (2018)
Forouhi NG, Menon RK, Sharp SJ, Mannan N, Timms PM, Martineau AR, Rickard AP, Boucher BJ, Chowdhury TA, Griffiths CJ, Greenwald SE, Griffin SJ, Hitman GA. Effects of vitamin D2 or D3 supplementation on glycaemic control and cardiometabolic risk among people at risk of type 2 diabetes: results of a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Diabetes Obes Metab. (2016)
Menon RK, Rickard AP, Mannan N, Timms PM, Sharp SJ, Martineau A, Boucher BJ, Chowdhury TA, Griffiths CJ, Griffin SJ, Hitman GA, Forouhi NG. The effects of vitamin D₂ or D₃ supplementation on glycaemic control and related metabolic parameters in people at risk of type 2 diabetes: protocol of a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial. BMC Public Health (2013)
