Vitamin D deficiency tied to arterial stiffness in T2DM

Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) seem to be correlated with arterial stiffness (AS) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a recent study has found.

The study included 603 T2DM patients (mean age 62±12 years, 353 men) from whom blood samples were drawn for the measurement of biochemical parameters such as total cholesterol, triglycerides, and 25(OH)D. AS was defined as having brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) ≥1,550 cm/s.

Majority (67 percent; n=404) of the participants had AS. This group tended to be older than controls and were more likely to have diabetic retinopathy and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Vitamin D deficiency, defined as serum 25(OH)D <47.7 nmol/L, was reported in 66 percent of participants.

Compared with controls, participants with AS showed significantly lower mean 25(OH)D levels (42±16 vs 45±17 mol/L; p=0.03) and a higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (69 percent vs 64 percent; p=0.01). Linear correlation analysis further showed that across all patients, baPWV measurements were significantly and inversely correlated with 25(OH)D (r, –0.12; p=0.004). The same remained true when restricting analysis to men (r, 0.11; p=0.04) and women (r, –0.13; p=0.04).

Multiple linear regression analysis confirmed these findings, showing that 25(OH)D exerted a strong and negative influence of baPWV in the overall sample (β, –2.2; p=0.01). In logistic regression, high levels of 25(OH)D were found to be significantly protective against AS (odds ratio, 0.987, 95 percent confidence interval, 0.976–0.998; p=0.024).