Vitamins, keys of the healthy life
Oily fish: Mackerel is a good source of vitamin D
Vitamin D may offer protection against the most common form of diabetes.
New research shows that, in particular, men with the highest blood level of the vitamin were 72 per cent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
There was a reduced effect among women.
Scientists in Finland monitored several thousand people, aged 40 to 74, for 22 years, during which time 412 developed the disease.
Results showed that those with higher levels of vitamin D had the lower risk of diabetes.
It is thought that low levels of vitamin D affect the body’s ability to produce insulin.
Diabetes type 2 is a growing health problem.
There are 1.9 million adults in the UK with diagnosed diabetes, and it is estimated there are another 589,000 unidentified sufferers.
Risk increases with age - less than one per cent of people under 34 have diagnosed diabetes compared with 10 per cent aged 75 and over.
Tags: 22 years, adults, blood level, D. Vitamin, diabetes, diabetes type 2, Finland, growing health, health problem, insulin diabetes, mackerel, oily fish, risk increases, several thousand, source of vitamin d, type 2 diabetes, women scientists