HealthDay News — For female patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), calcium-vitamin D co-supplementation correlates with improvements in metabolic profile, according to a study published in Diabetologia.
Approximately 7% of all pregnancies in the United States have been diagnosed with GDM, and the condition’s prevalence ranges from 1% to 14% of all pregnancies worldwide, Zatollah Asemi, PhD, of Kashan University of Medical Sciences in Iran, and colleagues reported.
In order to examine the impact of calcium and vitamin D supplementation on the metabolic status of pregnant patients, 56 patients with a diagnosis of GDM at 24 to 28 weeks’ gestation were randomly assigned to receive calcium plus vitamin D supplementation (1,000 mg daily and 50,000 U vitamin D3 at baseline and on day 21) or placebo.
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There were significant reductions in fasting plasma glucose (P<0.001), serum insulin levels (P=0.02), and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (P=0.001) in the calcium and vitamin D supplement group compared with placebo, and a significant increase in the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (P=0.003).
Compared with placebo, the intervention group also had significant reductions in serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P=0.02) and total cholesterol (P=0.003), and a significant increase in HDL-cholesterol levels (P=0.01).
A significant increase was also seen in total glutathione (P=0.03) in the intervention versus placebo group, while a rise was prevented in malondialdehyde levels (P=0.03).
“Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation in pregnant women with GDM had beneficial effects on glucose metabolism, lipid profiles and biomarkers of oxidative stress,” the researchers wrote.
