A new study from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has found a strong link between low vitamin D levels and a serious nerve problem in people with diabetes.
This condition, known as diabetic neuropathy, affects around half of all diabetes patients in the UAE and causes pain, numbness, and muscle weakness that gets worse over time. The research is especially important for the UAE, where type 2 diabetes is much more common than in many other countries.
Led by Dr. Bashair M. Mussa, an Associate Professor at the University of Sharjah’s College of Medicine, the study looked at the medical records of 600 Emirati patients treated at University Hospital Sharjah.
It revealed that 50% of them were suffering from diabetic neuropathy. What stood out most in this study was the finding that vitamin D deficiency was a key factor in the development of this nerve damage.
This discovery is surprising because the UAE is known for its sunny climate, which should normally help people get enough vitamin D through sun exposure. But the researchers pointed out that the extreme heat in the region often keeps people indoors. This reduces their exposure to natural sunlight, and in turn, their bodies produce less vitamin D.
Diabetic neuropathy is more than just uncomfortable—it can have serious health consequences. It raises the risk of infections, foot ulcers, and even amputation in severe cases.
It also places a heavy emotional and financial burden on patients and their families. As the number of people with type 2 diabetes in the UAE continues to rise—from 16.3% today to a projected 21.4% by 2030—these problems are expected to grow unless better prevention methods are found.
What makes this study even more valuable is that earlier research has shown that short-term vitamin D supplements can actually help improve symptoms of diabetic neuropathy. This suggests that low vitamin D may not only be a risk factor but also a possible treatment target.
Dr. Mussa believes more research is urgently needed. She calls for larger, multi-center studies across the UAE to explore exactly how vitamin D deficiency contributes to nerve damage in diabetic patients. These future studies could help develop clear guidelines for testing and treating vitamin D deficiency as part of diabetes care.
In the meantime, the findings highlight a simple but powerful idea: something as basic as getting enough vitamin D—through sun exposure, diet, or supplements—could play a role in protecting people with diabetes from a serious and painful condition.
If confirmed through further research, this could offer an easy, affordable way to reduce the impact of diabetes in the UAE and around the world.
The full study was published in the journal Cells. For those interested in diabetes, other recent studies have explored the benefits of certain berries in preventing diabetes, as well as new medications for treating both diabetes and metabolic syndrome. There’s also growing interest in nutrients like zinc, which may help improve blood sugar control.
As science continues to uncover the links between nutrition and chronic illness, one message is clear: small changes in diet and lifestyle can sometimes have a big impact on health.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies that not all whole grain foods could benefit people with type 2 diabetes, and green tea could help reduce death risk in type 2 diabetes.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about unhealthy plant-based diets linked to metabolic syndrome, and results showing Mediterranean diet could help reduce the diabetes risk by one third.
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