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Fruit, vegetable and vitamin C intakes and plasma vitamin C: cross-sectional associations with insulin resistance and glycaemia in 9–10 year-old children

Abstract:

Aim To examine whether low circulating vitamin C concentrations and low fruit and vegetable intakes were associated with insulin resistance and other Type 2 diabetes risk markers in childhood.

Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, school-based study in 2025 UK children aged 9–10 years, predominantly of white European, South-Asian and black African origin. A 24-h dietary recall was used to assess fruit, vegetable and vitamin C intakes. Height, weight and fat mass were measured and a fasting blood sample collected to measure plasma vitamin C concentrations and Type 2 diabetes risk markers.

Results In analyses adjusting for confounding variables (including socio-economic status), a one interquartile range higher plasma vitamin C concentration (30.9 μmol/l) was associated with a 9.6% (95% CI 6.5, 12.6%) lower homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance value, 0.8% (95% CI 0.4, 1.2%) lower fasting glucose, 4.5% (95% CI 3.2, 5.9%) lower urate and 2.2% (95% CI 0.9, 3.4%) higher HDL cholesterol. HbA1c concentration was 0.6% (95% CI 0.2, 1.0%) higher. Dietary fruit, vegetable and total vitamin C intakes were not associated with any Type 2 diabetes risk markers. Lower plasma vitamin C concentrations in South-Asian and black African-Caribbean children could partly explain their higher insulin resistance.

Conclusions Lower plasma vitamin C concentrations are associated with insulin resistance and could partly explain ethnic differences in insulin resistance. Experimental studies are needed to establish whether increasing plasma vitamin C can help prevent Type 2 diabetes at an early stage.

Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Files:
Publisher copy:
10.1111/dme.13006

Authors



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Funder identifier:
https://ror.org/050rgn017
Grant:
BDA 11/0004317
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Funder identifier:
https://ror.org/029chgv08
Grant:
068362/Z/02/Z
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Funder identifier:
https://ror.org/054225q67
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Funder identifier:
https://ror.org/01613vh25


Publisher:
Wiley
Journal:
Diabetic Medicine More from this journal
Volume:
33
Issue:
3
Pages:
307–315
Publication date:
2015-11-23
Acceptance date:
2015-10-19
DOI:
EISSN:
1464-5491
ISSN:
0742-3071


Language:
English
Pubs id:
pubs:612207
UUID:
uuid:be63f051-1632-4edc-9614-a99e16427b1c
Local pid:
pubs:612207
Source identifiers:
612207
Deposit date:
2016-03-30

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