Study Shows That Vitamin A Deficiency, Type 2 Diabetes, Might Be Closely Linked

A Cornell Medical College study shows that a lack of vitamin A -- found in meat, fish, poultry, dairy foods, fruits and vegetables – may be a key factor in the development of type 2 diabetes. Vitamin A helps give rise to beta cells in the pancreas that produce the blood sugar-regulating hormone insulin. In a mouse study, the researchers found that a vitamin A deficiency spurred the death of beta cells, inhibiting insulin production. Insulin metabolizes sugars that come from food. The researchers suggest the possibility that a synthetic form of vitamin A might reverse the effects of type 2 diabetes. They hope to test the idea in preclinical and clinical studies.