Scientists from the University of Maryland found that vitamin D supplementation may help offset damaging bone loss that occurs in some people who take canagliflozin, a commonly prescribed diabetes drug.
The research was presented at the American Physiological Society (APS) and American Society for Nephrology Control of Renal Function in Health and Disease conference and was conducted by Zhinous Yazdi et al.
A class of diabetes drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors has been shown to slow the progression of diabetes-related kidney disease.
It is increasingly being considered a first-line treatment option for people with diabetes who have a high risk of developing kidney and heart disease.
However, some studies have found SGLT inhibitors to negatively affect bone health by accelerating the loss of bone mineral density and hampering the activation of vitamin D by the body.
The combination of these events can increase the risk of bone fracture.
In the study, the team hypothesized that people who already have lower-than-normal levels of vitamin D have an even higher risk of bone loss and possible fracture when taking SGLT2 inhibitors.
The research team studied adults from an Old Order Amish community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The researchers explained that they chose this population due to the availability of extensive genetic sequencing data, but also because, unlike commercially processed milk, the farm-fresh milk many people in the Amish community drink is not fortified with vitamin D.
Therefore, it is more likely that Amish people consume less vitamin D from their diet than the general population in the U.S.
The volunteers—some of whom were found to have preexisting low vitamin D levels—took canagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, for five days before and after they were given vitamin D supplements.
The researchers found that in people who were vitamin D-deficient, canagliflozin led to a significant decrease (31%) in the levels of a metabolite used to measure vitamin D levels, but a much smaller decrease (7%) in those with normal vitamin D status.
The supplements then boosted levels of parathyroid hormone, which regulates calcium levels in the blood and vitamin D levels in the bones.
The research team explained that a short-term study of vitamin D supplements to counter the adverse effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on bone health shows promising results, but more research is needed.
If you care about bone health, please read studies about bone problem that may strongly increase COVID-19 death risk, and this exercise may slow down bone aging.
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