Effect of Vitamin D on the Honeymoon Period in Children and Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease characterized by destruction of the insulin secreting beta-cells of the pancreas. There is evidence that Vitamin D may play a role in the initial risk of development of autoimmune disease, including type 1 diabetes. However, Vitamin D may also play a role the natural progression of type 1 diabetes by altering innate insulin secretion and sensitivity and by influencing systemic inflammation, directly at the level of the beta-cell. Studies have shown that Vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency is frequently reported in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. A majority of newly diagnosed patients with type 1 diabetes enter a period of partial clinical remission, characterized by low or even absent insulin requirements, also known as a honeymoon period. This honeymoon period is associated with improved metabolic control, near normal insulin sensitivity, and recovery of beta-cell function leading to preservation of endogenous insulin secretion. We hypothesize that supplementation with Vitamin D in children and adolescents with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes will halt the destructive process within the beta cell and improve beta-cell function by increasing endogenous insulin secretion and decreasing systemic inflammation, thereby increasing the rate of partial clinical remission.