Journal of Dietary supplements 2018 – Richter, Josef, et al. “Effects of B-Glucan and Vitamin D Supplementation on Inflammatory Parameters in Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy.” Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2018, pp. 1–10., doi:10.1080/19390211.2018.1458769.
Diabetes is a prevalent disease in the USA and the world. Almost 10% of Americans have or will have diabetes. Of those, 5% will get diabetic retinopathy, making it the most common cause of vision loss among people with diabetes and the leading cause of vision impairment and blindness among working-age adults. It is caused by damage to the blood vessels in the retina from several sources including poorly controlled blood sugar and inflammation.
This study examined the effects of dosing with either Vitamin D plus beta glucan, Vitamin D alone, or Vitamin D and a placebo on 52 patients over a 3-month period. The results continue to support that supplementation with a combination of bioactive molecules (Vitamin D and Beta Glucan) might positively influence the health of individuals with diabetes and other diseases. Leptin levels and C-reactive proteins both were lowered in the Vitamin D and Beta Glucan group. Decreased leptin levels may help to therapeutically influence diabetes. Vitamin D levels increased in all groups, though they were still at a deficit. This suggests that a longer study may need to be initiated. Read more…