Assessing the population impact of low rates of vitamin D supplementation on type 1 diabetes using a new statistical method. (October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zipitis, Christos S; Mughal, Zulf M; Clayton, Peter E
• Is Part Of: JRSM open. Volume 7:Number 11(2016:Nov.)
• Publication Date: 2016-10
• Subjects: paediatrics -- public health -- vitamins and supplements -- other statistics and research methods; Medicine -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; 610.5
• DOI: 10.1177/2054270416653522
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2054-2704

Abstract

Vitamin D supplementation for all children <5 is recommended by the UK Department of Health for its skeletal effects. Vitamin D is also linked with a number of extra-skeletal effects; one of them being protection against type 1 diabetes. With a rapid increase in the incidence of type 1 diabetes and the associated costs, measures of curtailing the rapid increase of type 1 diabetes are needed. In this review, we look at type 1 diabetes using a statistical method (PIN-ER-t) and published data in an attempt to quantify the impact on the population of babies born in 2012 of increasing vitamin D supplementation rates. Calculations show that for the population of 729, 674 babies born in England and Wales in 2012, 374 cases of type 1 diabetes (out of 1357 total predicted) could be prevented over 18 years if all were supplemented with vitamin D. This could lead to savings in excess of £62 million for the cohort. This piece of work adds to the argument for studying the potential link between vitamin D supplementation and type 1 diabetes further.