Vitamin B Supplementation Hastens Kidney Damage Raises Incidence of Stroke

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B Vitamin Supplementation Increases Stroke and Kidney Damage

A study published in JAMA in April 2010 asked whether giving supplemental B vitamins to people with diabetes would improve their kidneys because they were known to have low levels of homocysteine. What the study found was very disturbing: people with diabetes who were given a single daily tablet of B vitamins containing folic acid (2.5 mg/d), vitamin B6 (25 mg/d), and vitamin B12 (1 mg/d) ended up with significantly worse kidney function as measured by GFR and also in a higher incidence of stroke. This suggests B Vitamin supplementation is harmful to people with kidney problems.

Effect of B-Vitamin Therapy on Progression of Diabetic Nephropathy. A Randomized Controlled Trial. Andrew A. House et al. JAMA Vol. 303 No. 16, April 28, 2010.

Potentially Dangerous Drugs for People with Type 2 Diabetes and Kidney Disease

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Other Potentially Dangerous Pharmaceutical Drugs. The following prescription medications are capable of causing problems in people who already have significant kidney damage:

a. ACE inhibitors and ARBs. These drugs protect the kidneys in most people, but if you have a condition called "renal artery stenosis" they may be harmful.There is a test, the Captopril Scan, that can be done to ensure you respond appropriately to these kinds of drugs if there is any question that you might have renal arterial stenosis.

b. Radioacontrast agents used during angiography. According to this review published in Endocrine Today up to 35% of people with diabetes may experience acute renal failure when given these during angiograms. Proper hydration appears to be the appropriate defense. Discuss this issue with your doctor before you find yourself in a hospital having tests done by doctors who don't have your chart. If you are at risk, make sure that information is available at any hospital you might be taken to.

c. Antibiotics. These can occasionally cause kidney failure, too. Again, this is mainly a problem if you have serious kidney damage. If you do ask the doctor who treats your diabetes before you take ANY medication prescribed by another doctor who may not know the details of your case

Endocrine Today: Medications that worsen renal function in diabetes

Blood Levels of Vitamin D Do Not Predict Insulin Secretion or Sensitivity in People with Metabolic Syndrome

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A study of 446 European subjects diagnosed with metabolic syndrome found no relationship between blood concentrations of vitamin D and insulin secretion or sensitivity. In this group 20% had vitamin D levels over 30 ng/ml (75 nmol/L). This may suggest that the low vitamin D levels seen in people with diabetes are a result, not a cause of their blood sugar disorder.

Serum Vitamin D Concentration Does Not Predict Insulin Action or Secretion in European Subjects With the Metabolic Syndrome. Hanne L. Gulseth et al. Diabetes Care April 2010 vol. 33 no. 4 923-925. doi: 10.2337/dc09-1692