Effects of vitamin D supplementation on the glycaemic indices, lipid profile and liver function tests in patients with cirrhosis: a double-blind randomised controlled trial

Liver cirrhosis is considered a progressive disease that can eventually result in death. Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in patients with cirrhosis. Few studies have been conducted on the effect of vitamin D supplementation in patients with cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of vitamin D supplementation on lipid profile, glycaemic indices and liver function tests in patients with cirrhosis. Sixty patients with cirrhosis were involved in this double-blind, randomised controlled clinical trial. During the intervention, patients received one 50 000 IU pearl of vitamin D supplement or placebo per week for 12 weeks. Before and after supplementation, we assessed serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin-D3 (25(OH) D3), glycaemic indices (insulin, haemoglobin A1c, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)), lipid profile and liver function tests. Baseline variables were not significantly different between groups. The present study indicated that over the 12 weeks, vitamin D supplementation significantly increased serum 25(OH) D3 (p<0.001), and also significantly decreased FBG (p=0.006), and HOMA-IR (p=0.001). Vitamin D supplementation significantly improves FBG and HOMA-IR as well as serum 25(OH) D3 in patients with cirrhosis. The protocol of the study was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) (IRCT20140502017522N2).