Vitamin D and liver enzymes' levels in Libyans with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Background: Many epidemiological studies reported the association of Vitamin D deficiency and abnormal liver enzymes' levels with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and their findings remain inconsistent. Aim: The study investigated the status of both Vitamin D levels and liver enzymes' activity in a Libyan population with T2D. Materials and Methods: A total of 180 individuals of both genders whose ages ranged between 25 and 62 years were enrolled. Fasting blood sugar, (FBS), Vitamin D, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were measured in patients' serum. The association of both Vitamin D and liver enzymes levels with T2D was evaluated by Chi-square analyses. Results: 55.6% of the study subjects were diabetics and 44.4% were healthy controls. 100% of T2D patients had deficient Vitamin D level (<20 ng/ml) (P = 0.000). The mean Vitamin D level was higher in nondiabetics (39.1 ± 4.0) ng/ml than in T2D patients (7.4 ± 1.8) ng/ml. 98% (P = 0.068), 97% (P = 0.118), and 100% of T2D patients had normal levels of AST, ALP, and ALT enzymes, respectively. The mean AST, ALP, and ALT enzymes levels for nondiabetics were 30.3 ± 4.1, 58.7 ± 8.0, and 24.8 ± 4.9 U/L, respectively. The mean AST, ALP, and ALT enzymes levels for T2D patients were 11.3 ± 2.9, 125.0 ± 11.5, and 10.3 ± 1.7 U/L, respectively. Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency may be related to T2D in the Libyan population, while the liver enzymes showed no significant differences between diabetics and nondiabetics.