A new study from the United Arab Emirates has found that people with diabetes who also have low levels of vitamin D may be at greater risk of nerve damage, a condition known as diabetic neuropathy.
This kind of nerve damage often gets worse over time and can cause pain, numbness, and weakness in the muscles—seriously affecting a person’s quality of life.
Diabetic neuropathy is already a major concern in the UAE, where it affects about half of all people with diabetes.
What makes this study even more important is that type 2 diabetes itself is very common in the UAE.
According to current statistics, about 16.3% of the population has type 2 diabetes—almost twice the global average of 9.3%. And that number is expected to rise to over 21% by the year 2030.
The study was led by Dr. Bashair M. Mussa, an Associate Professor at the University of Sharjah’s College of Medicine. Her team analyzed medical records from 600 Emirati patients treated at the University Hospital Sharjah.
They found that nearly half of the patients had signs of diabetic neuropathy, such as pain and muscle weakness that worsened over time. But the most surprising finding was that many of these patients also had low levels of vitamin D.
You might wonder how that’s possible in a sunny country like the UAE. After all, the human body produces vitamin D naturally when skin is exposed to sunlight. But the researchers pointed out that the hot and intense sun in the UAE may actually keep people indoors for much of the year. As a result, many people are not getting enough sunlight to make healthy levels of vitamin D.
This connection between vitamin D and nerve damage in diabetes is a new and important discovery. While earlier studies have looked into different causes of diabetic neuropathy, Dr. Mussa’s research stands out because it suggests that something as simple as a vitamin deficiency could be playing a major role.
The findings are especially important because diabetic neuropathy is not only painful—it also leads to higher rates of serious illness, disability, and even early death. It also places a heavy financial burden on individuals and the healthcare system.
If vitamin D deficiency is one of the causes, this means that a simple treatment like vitamin D supplements might help prevent or reduce nerve damage in people with diabetes.
In fact, earlier studies have already shown that short-term vitamin D supplements can help improve symptoms of diabetic neuropathy. But Dr. Mussa believes that more research is needed to understand how big of a role vitamin D really plays. She suggests that future studies should involve multiple hospitals and larger groups of patients to confirm the link.
The next step is to see if vitamin D supplementation could become a regular part of diabetes care in the UAE and other countries with high rates of both diabetes and sunlight. With more research, doctors may soon be able to use a simple, affordable vitamin to help protect people from one of the most serious complications of diabetes.
The study was published in the journal Cells.
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