Bethesda, MD—A large clinical trial is underway to determine whether taking vitamin D3 supplements can help prevent or delay the development of type-2 diabetes in adults who are at risk of the disease.

Entitled “Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d),” the trial is being conducted at 20 sites around the country, and is being funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Some 2,500 people will either take vitamin D or a placebo for about four years, and will have check-ups twice a year for the study in addition to their normal healthcare.

D2d researchers are using 4,000 IUs of vitamin in the study, far greater than the Institute of Medicine’s recommended 600–800 IUs/day. According to a press statement, the researchers anticipate this high-dose amount of vitamin D could reduce the diabetes risk by 25%.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, December 2013 (online 10/28/13)