Correlation of Serum Vitamin D Levels with Insulin Resistance in Young Adults

Notice

This is an unedited manuscript accepted for publication and provided as an Article in Press for early access at the author’s request. The article will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley proof review before final publication. Please be aware that errors may be identified during production that could affect the content. All legal disclaimers of the journal apply.

Year : 2026 | Volume : 15 | Issue : 01 | Page :
    By

    Iram Altaf Mohammad,

  • Umar Mir,

  • Urooj Mushtaq Bhat,

  • Sheezan Shafi,

  1. Lecturer, Department of Nursing, Ibn Sina College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jammu & Kashmir, India
  2. Student, Department of Nursing, Lovely Professional University (LPU), Ludhiana, Panjab, India
  3. Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing, Ibn Sina College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jammu & Kashmir, India
  4. Lecturer, Department of Nursing, Ibn Sina College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jammu & Kashmir, India

Abstract

Among young adults, both insulin resistance (IR)and vitamin D deficiency are common and pose the risk of complications, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A few studies demonstrated that vitamin D deficiency might negatively influence insulin sensitivity, but the results of these studies have been inconsistent and/or inconclusive. This review focuses on young adults and aims to summarize and critique studies that assess the relationship between IR and serum vitamin D levels. We searched English-language observational and interventional studies in four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Embase) and included the articles identified. We review the various biological pathways that could help explain why vitamin D and glucose metabolism are related, summarize the available epidemiology, and discuss issues that may have influenced the findings. In summary, while many studies document the negative correlation of serum levels of vitamin D and the various parameters of IR, to date, it appears that very few have confidently established cause and effect. There remains a need for more and larger longitudinal and interventional studies of young adults on IR and vitamin D to shed more light on the underlying principles and to help develop primary health care interventions that promote metabolic health.

Keywords: Vitamin D; IR; Young Adults; HOMA-IR; Glucose Metabolism; Metabolic Syndrome

[This article belongs to Research and Reviews : A Journal of Medical Science and Technology ]

How to cite this article:
Iram Altaf Mohammad, Umar Mir, Urooj Mushtaq Bhat, Sheezan Shafi. Correlation of Serum Vitamin D Levels with Insulin Resistance in Young Adults. Research and Reviews : A Journal of Medical Science and Technology. 2026; 15(01):-.
How to cite this URL:
Iram Altaf Mohammad, Umar Mir, Urooj Mushtaq Bhat, Sheezan Shafi. Correlation of Serum Vitamin D Levels with Insulin Resistance in Young Adults. Research and Reviews : A Journal of Medical Science and Technology. 2026; 15(01):-. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/rrjomst/article=2026/view=241849


References

  1. Ehrampoush, E., Razzaz, J. M., Ghaemi, A., Shahraki, H. R., Babaei, A. E., Osati, S., & Homayounfar, R. (2021). The association of vitamin D levels and insulin resistance. Clinical nutrition ESPEN, 42, 325-332.
  2. Buchmann, N., Eckstein, N., Spira, D., Demuth, I., Steinhagen‐Thiessen, E., & Norman, K. (2021). Vitamin D insufficiency is associated with metabolic syndrome independent of insulin resistance and obesity in young adults‐The Berlin Aging Study II. Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews, 37(8), e3457.
  3. Bacha, F., Bartz, S. K., Tomsa, A., & Sharma, S. (2019). Free vitamin D: relationship to insulin sensitivity and vascular health in youth. The Journal of Pediatrics, 212, 28-34.
  4. Kamiński, M., Uruska, A., Rogowicz-Frontczak, A., Lipski, D., Niedźwiecki, P., Różańska, O., … & Zozulińska-Ziółkiewicz, D. (2021). Insulin resistance in adults with type 1 diabetes is associated with lower vitamin D serum concentration. Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes, 129(05), 396-402.
  5. Szymczak-Pajor, I., & Śliwińska, A. (2019). Analysis of association between vitamin D deficiency and insulin resistance. Nutrients, 11(4), 794.
  6. Contreras-Bolívar, V., García-Fontana, B., García-Fontana, C., & Muñoz-Torres, M. (2021). Mechanisms involved in the relationship between vitamin D and insulin resistance: impact on clinical practice. Nutrients, 13(10), 3491.
  7. Labatjo, R., Tumenggung, I., & Rahmad, A. A. (2023). Insulin resistance, visceral fat, and vitamin D in overweight and obesity adolescents”. Universal Journal of Public Health, 11(4), 463-471.
  8. Fu, J., Han, L., Zhao, Y., Li, G., Zhu, Y., Li, Y., … & Willi, S. M. (2019). Vitamin D levels are associated with metabolic syndrome in adolescents and young adults: The BCAMS study. Clinical nutrition, 38(5), 2161-2167.
  9. Xu, Z., Gong, R., Luo, G., Wang, M., Li, D., Chen, Y., … & Wang, S. (2022). Association between vitamin D3 levels and insulin resistance: a large sample cross-sectional study. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 119.
  10. Okuyan, O., Dumur, S., Elgormus, N., & Uzun, H. (2024). The relationship between vitamin D, inflammatory markers, and insulin resistance in children. Nutrients, 16(17), 3005.
  11. Yin, X., Chen, J. Y., Huang, X. J., Lai, J. H., Huang, C., Yao, W., … & Guo, X. G. (2022). Association between vitamin D serum levels and insulin resistance assessed by HOMA-IR among non-diabetic adults in the United States: results from NHANES 2007–2014. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9, 883904.
  12. Flores Ruelas, Y., Del Toro Equihua, M., Alejandra Jiménez Solís, N., Baltazar Rodríguez, L. M., Delgado Enciso, I., & Sánchez Ramírez, C. A. (2020). Vitamin D status and its relation to insulin resistance in a Mexican pediatric population. Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, 33(4), 481-486.
  13. Tucker, L. A. (2022). Serum, dietary, and supplemental vitamin D levels and insulin resistance in 6294 randomly selected, non-diabetic US adults. Nutrients, 14(9), 1844.
  14. Rahmadhani, R., Zaharan, N. L., Mohamed, Z., Moy, F. M., & Jalaludin, M. Y. (2017). The associations between VDR BsmI polymorphisms and risk of vitamin D deficiency, obesity and insulin resistance in adolescents residing in a tropical country. PloS one, 12(6), e0178695.
  15. Bilici, M. E., Erdeve, Ş. S., Çetinkaya, S., & Aycan, Z. (2019). The effect of 2000 ıu/day vitamin D supplementation on insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk parameters in vitamin D deficient obese adolescents. The Turkish journal of pediatrics, 61(5), 723-732.
  16. Archontogeorgis, K., Papanas, N., Rizos, E. C., Nena, E., Zissimopoulos, A., Tsigalou, C., … & Steiropoulos, P. (2019). Reduced serum vitamin D levels are associated with insulin resistance in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Medicina, 55(5), 174.
  17. Pankiv, V. I., Yuzvenko, T. Y., Pashkovska, N. V., & Pankiv, I. V. (2019). Effect of vitamin D on insulin resistance and anthropometric parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Клінічна ендокринологія та ендокринна хірургія, (1 (65)), 53-58.
  18. Çığrı, E., & İnan, F. Ç. (2022). The relationship between anthropometric measurements and vitamin D levels and insulin resistance in obese children and adolescents. Children, 9(12), 1837.
  19. Szymczak-Pajor, I., Drzewoski, J., & Śliwińska, A. (2020). The molecular mechanisms by which vitamin D prevents insulin resistance and associated disorders. International journal of molecular sciences, 21(18), 6644.
  20. Abed, M. N., Alassaf, F. A., & Qazzaz, M. E. (2024). Exploring the interplay between vitamin D, insulin resistance, obesity and skeletal health. Journal of Bone Metabolism, 31(2), 75.
Regular Issue Subscription Review Article
Volume 15
Issue 01
Received 27/04/2026
Accepted 29/04/2026
Published 29/04/2026
Publication Time 2 Days
7

Login


My IP

PlumX Metrics