A new study published in Chronicle of Diabetes Research and Practice has revealed that high-dose Vitamin D supplementation may significantly lower the inflammatory cytokines in patients with diabetic foot infections (DFIs).

DFIs are a serious and frequent complication in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), often leading to prolonged hospitalization, amputations, and increased mortality. This study assessed the effect of  Vitamin D supplementation on inflammatory markers in T2DM patients with and without DFIs.

Researchers enrolled two groups of T2DM patients—those with DFIs (cases) and those without (controls)—and administered a total of 300,000 IU of oral Vitamin D (60,000 IU weekly for 5 weeks). Serum  25-hydroxy Vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured before and after supplementation.

There was a significant rise in the serum Vitamin D levels in both groups (cases: P < 0.0001; controls: P = 0.012). Inflammatory cytokine levels reduced significantly only in the DFI group following supplementation, i.e, TNF-α (P = 0.0001) and IL-6 (P = 0.0026). However, no significant changes were observed in the control group.