vitamin d deficiency is associated with the metabolic syndrome in subjects with type 2 diabetes

background and objectives: there is convincing evidence that subjects concomitantly affected by type 2 diabetes (t2d) and metabolic syndrome (mes) are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease (cvd). many metabolic derangements in t2d might be attributed to poor vitamin d status. the purpose of this study was to investigate the associations among vitamin d status, mes and glycemic status in subjects with t2d. materials and methods: a total of 101 known cases of t2d (39 males, 62 females) were enrolled in a cross-sectional study by convenient sampling. serum 25(oh)d3, glycemic markers and lipid profile were assessed. results: mean concentration of serum 25(oh)d3 was 42.2±33.8 nmol/l. prevalence of undesirable vitamin d status (25(oh)d < 50nmol/l) was significantly higher among the subjects with mes as compared to those without mes (p=0.020). the subjects with sufficient vitamin d status had 50% lower risk for mes compared to those who had vitamin d deficiency, and this association remained significant even after additional adjustment for body mass index (bmi), percent of fat mass or waist circumference. conclusions: our data showed that firstly higher vitamin d status is inversely associated with fasting glycemia, and secondly serum 25(oh)d3 predicts mes risk in the subjects with t2d. demonstrating the association of hypovitaminosis d with disorders of glucose metabolism and higher risk for development of further complications, notably cvd, may lead to a new target for preventive efforts at the population level. keywords: vitamin d, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease