How vitamin B protects kidney health in kids with T1D
An increased intake of vitamin B, paired with routine ACE inhibitor therapy, could help protect kidney function in kids and teens with type 1 diabetes (T1D), according to a study presented at the 57th annual European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology Meeting in Athens, Greece.
The study, led by Nancy Samir Elbarbary, a professor of pediatrics at Ain Shams University in Cairo, looked at 80 vitamin B12-deficient, type 1 diabetics between 12 and 18 years old, all of whom showed early signs of diabetic kidney disease at the study’s baseline. Diabetics are at a heightened risk for developing kidney disease, Elbarbary and colleagues said, but the condition moves slowly and is often difficult to detect. If left undiagnosed, it can mean years of invasive treatments, pricey tests and mental anguish.
Elbarbary et al. randomized their pool of patients to receive either routine treatment or additional vitamin B supplements, since vitamin B deficiency is linked to an increased risk for kidney damage and is common in T1D patients. After 12 weeks of study, the group who’d increased their intake of vitamin B showed significant improvements in blood glucose regulation and kidney function.
“After 12 weeks of vitamin B complex supplementation in children and adolescents with diabetic kidney disease, we detected lower levels of markers that indicate poor kidney function, suggesting that it had a protective effect and could slow progression of the disease,” Elbarbary said in a release.
She said the results are a “promising start,” though it’s always best for diabetics to stay ahead of any possible health complications.
“Although the best strategy for treating diabetic kidney disease is prevention, for example through better blood glucose control and maintenance of a healthy blood pressure, a normal lipid profile and a healthy body weight, the long-term duration of diabetes still increases the risk of developing kidney disease,” Elbarbary said. “So, these findings suggest vitamin B supplementation, in addition to traditional angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor therapy, may be a simple, safe and cost-effective strategy for early protection of kidney function, which may improve the long-term quality of life for type-1 diabetes patients.”
She said the study was on the smaller side, so her team’s findings will need to be confirmed in larger, multicenter trials down the line.
After graduating from Indiana University-Bloomington with a bachelor’s in journalism, Anicka joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering cardiology. Close to her heart is long-form journalism, Pilot G-2 pens, dark chocolate and her dog Harper Lee.